The 9 Pillars
by kronosblade
Summary: The pillars once stood tall and proud protecting the world, but 100 years after they have fallen what will become of the world and the poor people forced to live in it? NarSak
1. Prologue: History

I dont own naruto

* * *

Prologue

"For thousands of years 9 grand and glorious pillars stood around the world. These pillars extended themselves to the heavens with no end in site. No one living had ever seen the tops of the pillars. The pillars were of legend, said to keep the word at peace and make sure the world flourished with life and happiness. That these pillars held up the sky itself. Each pillar had a corresponding kingdom and king. So within the world were 9 kingdoms and 9 kings. All the kingdoms were sharing peace, never trying to interfere, with one another. The 9 kings were all close as well, having gatherings once a year to speak of the future and what was needed in each country. The world was stable and in a golden age.

That was until 100 years ago however. The original kings having long ago died, and being replaced by their decedents. The old teachings and legends had gone astray, and nobody knew why these 9 kingdoms and kings were at harmony. But everyone was so absorbed in their own lives that it didn't matter to them and they just went about their business. Then the king of the 9th empire got a terrible illness. It was a heart condition that no medic could cure, not even the best sorcerers. His heart and organs were slowly devoured and eventually disintegrated all together.

The king's death was tragic and the world did mourn for him, but the problem arose with the king having no legitimate blood heir to follow to the thrown. The other 8 kings went into a panic at what should be done, for this kind of thing had no precedent. Unfortunately the kings weren't worried for the reason they should be. All were concerned with their own kingdoms and the possibility to expand for the first time in centuries. So every kingdom quickly formed up their armies to try to "peacefully" take the land. Almost all kings sent their respective armies at the same time, and thus the 1st recorded world war accord, it was gruesome killing thousands, all within the 9th kingdom's old borders. No one's attention was on the 9th kingdoms pillar however. With the kings death and no heir the pillar slowly cracked. Then all the inner fighting within the kingdom, the pillars peaceful nature wasn't being appeased so it was cracking even more. The final straw came when the battle came to the kingdom's castle, and obliterating it. The last remnant of the 9th kingdom was no more, and the pillar shattered.

Now the remembered legends of the pillars were that they kept the world thriving, and that peace flourished because of them. Well those legends were wrong, and the world was unprepared for what they were for. In essence the pillars held back chaos. The pillars had to each have a blood heir from their original constructors sitting on the thrown of the pillar's kingdom, or it would crumble and fall. Unfortunately the pillars were built inner connected, meaning all 9 were needed or the others would also crumble and die. Slowly that happened 10 years after the shattering of the 9th pillar, all the other 8 had died, and the evil it was keeping back sprang forth. The demons. 9 great beasts of fury, each with a different number of tails dictating its strength, had been set loose on a world that had long since forgotten them and their powers of destruction.

Within no time at all the kingdoms had fallen and all that was good and green in the world was gone. The things that remained were rivers of lava, burnt forests, and the occasional village. The 9 demons each took over their respective kingdoms were their pillar had been located. Killing millions and sending the world to a practical hell, and no race of creature seemed to have any shot at defeating these beasts. And that is how the earth has faired for the last 100 years or so. It had been suffering and dieing.

I don't know why I say all this. It just seems like I had to get it out of my head. I could never stand that story that my mother had told me when I was young. Of course her story was far more graphic with much more gore and death. If the need hits me I will tell that version of the story but I doubt anyone will want to hear it. Very few like to hear about how they had paradise then 8 men sent us to hell. I find it funny that as I sit in my tree looking around the village that this is what comes to my mind. My name is Haruno Sakura and I want out of this kami-forsaken world."


	2. P1:C1: Party Mistake

I dont own Naruto

_Thoughts_

"Talking"

* * *

Chapter 1 

"A girl of about 16 years was slowly but surely making her way through the beginning of a great and wonderful forest. The girl had emerald green eyes and uncommon but not unheard of pink hair. She was definitely beautiful for her age and she had many admirers from her small village but none so great as the new admirer that seemed to follow her through the trees. Even though said admirer has no actual idea of that for this being the first time of seeing her. Man I have got to be the biggest freak I know, I'm narrating my own life. O well I really should get back to looking for Kurama, I hope this girl will be all right, even though it is just the forest's edge, who knows what might get at her. Well good bye for now my pink haired lady."

The young man disappeared from sight, into the depths of the forests.

"Oh thank kami he's gone. He might have been cute but a stalker is still a stalker and I didn't really feel like beating some poor boy silly for being creepy today. Not during the only time I have to admire like the only nature there is around these parts."

Sakura said to no one in particular. The girl always had a great fascination with nature always yearning to see what it might have been like back in the utopian times, before the pillars breaking and the rise of the demons.

"Lucky for me I guess that our particular demon was kind enough, if the proper word, to keep this forest in our land, other wise I might not even have a vague image of Eden."

Sakura continued her walk through the wood with a smile on her face. To bad she couldn't shake that boy's image from her mind.

"Damn him! Him and his spiky golden yellow hair and gorgeous sapphire eyes, but he was still following me without my permission, so he was a stalker and it is wrong to have fantasies about stalkers. But why cant I shack him from my mind, this walk would be perfect if he just got out of it!"

Sakura started yelling. She had learned over the years especially from her mother that when alone you must yell and unwind or it will bottle up and be unhealthy. Like what her mom did to one of the guests at their inn once. She just blew up at him because he asked for a different room.

Now Sakura was always a perceptive young one, she had been able to see that blonde boy while he poorly hid himself in the trees, to bad that today at this time she decided to vent or she would have seen the approaching parties on her location.

"OK, there he's out of my system I can just continue on my walk now!"

"AWWW, to bad, I was enjoying listening to about this blond dream boat. Tell me and be honest was it me? It was I wasn't it?"

Sakura turned around startled, and there stood a very large man, both in height and girth. He had black eyes with very dirty blonde hair. Now just his size, to Sakura, wasn't intimidating but the big ax he held kind of was. But despite that Sakura wont lose her attitude.

"Oh, sorry but he was shorter, leaner, and had a different style blonde hair. Also his face didn't look like he just fell off a cliff into a pile of horseshit. But maybe you could try the local brothel, I'm sure they would be happy to call you a dream boat there."

The giant of a man looked very cross, he wasn't used to insults most people he met feared him and through such fear showed him respect.

"You are a funny bitch aren't you? Well let's see how far that sense of humor gets you when my boys and I make you our official concubine."

With the mention of boys, 5 other men appeared around Sakura thus boxing her in, cutting off all escape roots. Now fear was indeed instilled upon her. Maybe this was the reason her mother warmed her not to go into the forest. But still that wouldn't make her loose her attitude.

"Wow concubine? That is almost a big word. I'm certainly surprised you can even conceive such a word let alone speak it without messing it up."

That was the last straw; the man had come for a simple hit and quite in his mind. But now that she has said that she will wish she were never born.

"Alright funny girl, that's it. Boys do WHATEVER you want to her. No restraints satisfy any and all urges."

There was much chuckling and wooting going on as the men descended upon poor Sakura and nothing she could do would stop them. All hope had seemed lost, until a small fox red and silver ran through the crowd, followed by a voice.

"Kurama?! Here boy! Come on Kurama, this isn't funny. No more hide and seek we have places to be!"

_OH thank Kami! Someone is here hopefully he can help. Wait it's him!_

A young man around 17 by first glance walked into the little clearing. He had wild spiky golden blonde hair, with sapphire eyes and oddly enough what appeared to be whicker marks. His clothing consisted of a long orange and black and silver cloak. Not much else was seen below it.

"Well what's going on here? Are we having a party? Can I join I haven't cut loose in forever, it would be so appreciated."

All the men looked at him like the he just started shitting out his mouth and eating it through his ass. The leader finally got over his little bit of shock. He wasn't in the mood to deal with some kid so he figured he'd try to shoe him away.

"Yeah we are about to have a "party" with this young girl. Now run along and you can have your "party" with her when we are done."

The blonde kid looked at the girl and his face just lit up with the happiest smile anyone of the other people had seen.

"It's you! The pink haired angel I was following earlier! Wow I'm going to have to thank Kurama later for this."

Sakura was frozen still in fear, hearing the boy but not really responding, just hoping to Kami that he would help somehow then not want "something" in return. Then the boy continued.

"You fellas can run along now. I'll take care of the young maiden."

The leader just chuckled at how naïve this kid was.

"Listen kid we got this, and our parties are to much for you so be gone before we get mad."

The blonde looked puzzled, like he was trying to think of something important but couldn't put his finger on it. Then his expression change to a serious one and the tone is his voice got angrier.

"You men fail to realize what I mean by party. Now please leave the lady alone and I will not be forced to use force, which I detest doing. Don't make your over powered sexual urges be what brings your inevitable death far to soon."

Some of the men flinched at the serious words but stopped when they saw the leader unflinching.

"Tough words for a boy. But I'm gonna have to decline that offer. I am curious though, please show what you meant by party."

"I gave you the chance and you turned it down." He shook his head in shame. "My lady, please close your eyes, for the gruesome doings of death are unsuited for a fair one to see. And of course by party i ment brawl, scrap, and plainly a good smack down."

Sakura didn't close her eyes even though asked because her better judgment had left her, and not only did she not decided to run after the distraction she wanted to see what this boy would do. In almost an eye uncatchable move the boy had move behind the first man. But even more surprising the boy had a steel sword in his hand, and it was covered in fresh blood. The man he now stood behind had fear in his eyes.

"Boss…I feel…very cold." Was all the man said before his intestine slipped out of a giant gapping wound in his side. He almost appeared that he might fall in half at any moment but fell to his knees then on to his stomach instead. The boss was not pleased.

"You basterd little child! How dare you kill one of my men! KILL HIM!"

The boss ordered the attack but his men didn't respond at first. Eventually one charged the boy mace swinging. The man attacked to the right and the boy dodged it, attacked to the left and the boy dodged it, attacked high and the boy ducked, and then the low attack but the bow jumped and roundhouse kicked the man square in the jaw and he feel unconscious. He held the sword to the man's throat.

"His movements are slow and predictable, you should train better men. Now leave the maiden or this man with meet The Reaper."

The 3 henchmen started to leave out of fear for their companion's life. But the boss didn't move, if fact he was smiling.

"Go ahead kid kill him, ill use that time to kill you!"

The men couldn't believe the blatant disregard for their friend's life, but did find the idea as a good one.

"All right then."

The boy said and raised his sword. He brought it down to kill the man and the leader rushed at this. But something happened that Sakura never saw. The man on the ground didn't get hurt anymore but the giant of a leader man fell to the ground decapitated. And there stood the boy, wiping his sword clean of blood.

"Now you 3 please take your friend here and go, I would hate to spill more unneeded blood."

His tone was again gentle and friendly. And the 3 guys gladly accepted and took the sleeping one with them, dragging him out of the forest. While the boy came over to Sakura and extended his hand down to her.

"Fair one, I am sorry that you had to see that and go through such trauma I'm glad I was able to help you."

Sakura was recovering from the shock of all that just happened, almost raped and tortured to being saved by a boy her age where his skill and battle prowess put even her villages best warriors to shame. But she being herself recovered quickly, striking the boys head. BAM!

"You BAKA! What was with the stalking earlier, you pervert."

Granted that was not the response the blonde expected from the beautiful girl he just saved. And seeing his shock Sakura giggled and continued.

"Anyway though, thank you for your assistance with that I thought I was as good as dead for a moment."

The boy shock off the shock and returned with that great big wonderful smile he had shown earlier.

"No problem madam. Just helping an angel in need from some demons."

Sakura blushed at the complement; no one besides her dad had ever called her something like that.

"I do have one request though."

And there went the fantasy; he was going to ask for something perverted and wrong. But he didn't, he just maintained his smile.

"Can I have the name of the angel I saved?"

"Um…of course, my name is Haruno Sakura. And what is the name of my rescuer?"

"My name, Sakura-chan, is Uzumaki Naruto." He said with a smile.


	3. P1:C2: Adorable Furball

I don't own Naruto

_Thoughts_

"Speaking"

* * *

Chapter 2 

The two teens had been sitting down and talking for a few good hours. Naruto was learning a bunch about Sakura, and the more he heard the more he liked her. She was apparently 17 like himself, not 16 as he had originally guessed. She worked with her mother at an Inn in the nearby village. The Floating Petal Inn was its name. Naruto found it a bit strange, but didn't dare question Sakura, or her mother. Sakura's didn't want to talk about her father much, which was fine seeing as Naruto didn't want to talk of his father either. She had grown up in the village her whole life, and couldn't stand the place. She yearned for nature and the world. Sakura described the feeling of being trapped in predictability, and that was something nobody can stand. He learned her favorite foods, and colors, her deep hatred of the old corrupt kings and the demons, for turning the world to crap. Naruto understood her there; he too had a hatred for them. She also had a deep love of history, as did he.

Sakura was learning just almost as much about Naruto. He didn't want to talk of his family much, which wasn't to big a deal; she liked this boy and hoped he would eventually tell her of them. She asked about the whisker like marks on his face and he just turned downcast at that, so Sakura deduced they were battle scars that either came from a horrible battle or might have something to do with his parents so he would be reluctant of telling about them. But he told her all his favorite things colors, foods, that he loved the feeling of sitting on top a mountain to just witness the grand scenery and the feeling of the wind blowing through his hair. He loved swimming and how it's the closest thing to flying any human will even experience. He apparently knew how to converse with elves. He also owned a small fox named Kurama. And that he had no particular home and was on a journey of some kind.

"Naruto, tell me more of this journey you are on."

"Okay Sakura-chan. Lets see…"

_There's that thinking face of his again. It is cute but I much prefer his goofy smiling face. It almost seems like him thinking is a crime._

Sakura made herself laugh, at her foolish thought. But Naruto seemed to have not noticed, and finally came up with the answer he was looking for.

"Well I'm traveling between the old 9 kingdoms. I am visiting all the old castles and the pillars. It's a foolish thought, but maybe just maybe if I go see each one, I can find something I can do to restore them."

The though was absolutely preposterous, there is nothing anyone could do for the pillars Sakura thought. But the prospect of still visiting them was wonderful, and the fact he would be traversing the world and getting close to the Strongholds of the 9 demons, made it exciting and made the boy seem even more brave, yet at the same time an idiot. And some how she liked that about him.

"Naruto, that sounds so exciting, and admirable for hoping you can do something for the pillars. So…"

"Yes?"

"…"

It was obvious even to Naruto that Sakura had another question to ask, and it was better to just get it out the stall.

"CanIgowithyou?"

Naruto chuckled at her quick speech and the fact he couldn't make any of it out. But Sakura didn't see the laugh as that but as an insult for her asking to come along.

"Well I didn't know the idea was so terrible." She said with spite.

"No, it wasn't that Sakura-chan. I was laughing cause I couldn't understand what you said."

"Oh." Sakura blushed as she realized she slurred it all out in one word.

"Can I please come along with you?" She made sure to say slowly in her head this time so it would come out normal.

Again, Naruto went to his think face.

"I mean just to this kingdom's castle and pillar, my mother wouldn't let me go around the world. It's just I need this, and if I see them I will get a better understanding of the past. PLEASE?"

She asked with those big puppy dog eyes. And Naruto being who he is could not say no to those eyes.

"Eh…um…man…. huff…fine."

Sakura squealed for joy.

"THANK YOU!" She screamed as she tackled him into a hug.

That hug was one of the main highlights so far for Naruto's life, and he hated to end it, but he needed to get up.

"Sakura-chan, feel free to do this again later, but for no can I get up?"

Sakura blushed when she realized what she had done.

"Sorry." She said looking down.

"OK well seeing as how I was just suckered into bringing you with me. I say we find Kurama, and then set on our way. It is about a four-day trip to the castle."

Sakura was so excited.

"Ok you find you fox, and ill meet you back her in an hour."

Naruto scratched his head in confusion.

"Why?"

"Duh, you baka. I got to go home and inform my mother. Then get clothes and stuff. I'm sorry but I'm not wearing the same thing for 9 days."

"Right of course, how silly of me…9 days? I said 4."

"Man behind that hair there must be like nothing but air. 4 days to get there plus 1 day to examine and take in the place plus 4 days to travel back. 4 + 1 +4 9. Basic math come on now."

"Right…ok then see you in an hour."

Sakura hurriedly ran off back in the direction of her village. While Naruto once again started to arduous task of finding his stupid fox.

"Kurama! Oley Oley Oxen Free!"

* * *

_Woo im late. Hope Naruto isn't to pissed at me. Took longer then I thought to explain to my mom why I was going on a trip for 2 weeks with some boy I just met._

"Sakura-chan!" Naruto yelled while waving to her.

"Hey Naruto!" She responded. "Sorry it took longer then I thought it would."

"Really? I didn't notice…"

Sakura started to take offense at the fact he didn't notice her longer then intended absence until.

"It's just, looking for Kurama is a difficult task that just makes you loose track of time."

It was then Sakura noticed the small little fluff ball being scratched behind the ear in Naruto's arms. It looked so cute.

"Oh he's adorable Naruto. Can I hold him?"

"Of course."

Naruto handed her the small red and silver fox. And Sakura took in all its features. Starting with the tail. The red and silver spiraled in interlocking lines around the tail traveling all the way to the small of the back, where the silver continued along the spine and the red made up the rest of the fur, except the fur on the paws that was also silver, along with the tips of his fox ears. He had blue cerulean eyes just like Naruto. He even had whiskers that reminded her of Naruto's scratch marks.

"Naruto, he is the cutest fox I have ever seen. Where did you get him?"

"I found him one day. Two of his legs were broken I don't know from what, but it looked like he was escaping something. So I took him in, fixed his legs and gave him food till he was good to walk again. When he was all better he just kinda started following me, and you know I was ok with it, I liked him. So eventually I gave him the name Kurama, because that was the name of a fox in a story my grandmother used to tell me. But he is turning out to be a handful, always wandering off on his own and leading me places."

"Fun, I wish I had a pet…"

"Well if I find one that suites you on the way ill get it for you Sakura-chan."

"Thanks."  
"So you ready to set off on our trip?"

"Of course, I can't wait!"

"Ok I'm gonna set a pace and keep at it, now if you don't think you can keep on it let me know, alright?"

"Fine Uzumaki-san, but be warned I am not just some helpless little girl, I can do things on my own. I have stamina, I have strength, I don't want what happened with those guys to set you seeing me as some silly damsel in distress"

Naruto started waving his hands in defense.

"It isn't like that Sakura-chan. I was just saying. Of course I don't see you that way."

"Good." Sakura said with a smile. "Now off we go." Sakura started running. "Come on Naruto, keep up."

"Wait Sakura-chan! How did you even know that's the right direction?"

"Cause you just told me." She said smiling and sticking her tongue out at him, and running faster laughing.

_Man is she cute, but the teme is gonna kill me for bringing her along. Well if he doesn't like it he can bite me. Besides it's only for 9 days._


	4. P1:C3: Castle Superbia

I dont own Naruto

_thoughts_

"speaking"

* * *

Chapter 3

After a long four-day trip, Sakura was tired. She was talking a big game to Naruto, but had never gone that long running, and at the blistering pace Naruto was setting it was no wonder that by the fourth day where should she find herself, but on the comfy and strong, back and shoulders of one blond knucklehead. She wasn't complaining she was getting a free trip and man was it comfy. And Naruto wasn't going to complain, he actually enjoyed doing this for her, and feeling her breathing was very soothing. But he was having trouble keeping his thoughts off the fact that Sakura's breasts were on him back. That particular thought had almost run him into more then one tree.

It seemed however that the peaceful and comfy journey was about to come to an end. The old castle was on the horizon. The spires and towers were showing through the dead trees. The castle was large, with many chunks missing. The path to the gate was bear, the road covered in cracks and holes. One could tell that it used to be bordered by lovely trees, but those were all dead and decaying. And those dead trees were few and far between, all the rest must have rotted completely or been taken by someone. The castle gate, which might have once been a drawbridge, was in no better shape. Half of the thing was lying in chunks in the dried up shell of a riverbed. The other half was nonexistent except the rusty and decrepit draw chains hanging from the stonewall. The left side of the castle was caved in. Just a large pile of gray stone and dust, with the dust just piling up on itself for it seemed there had been no rain, let alone a breeze in this area for more then a decade. Which begged the question of what exactly is causing the stone to erode to dust? The right side seemed to be fairing better. It still had towers, and spires and chimneys. It also held something Naruto had not been told of, a clock tower. It was stopped on a specific time, it read 3:28, and if Naruto's memory served him and he was as big a history buff as he imagined he was that was the exact time that the 9th king died over 100 years ago.

_Well time to rouse the sleeping beauty on my back._

"Sakura-chan…Sakura-chan time to wake up."

Sakura slowly stirred on his back, give a little sigh.

"No not yet, im to comfy."

Naruto smiled at the comment and blushed, but Sakura didn't see it since he was still asleep basically.

"No really, Sakura-chan, we are here it is time to for you to get up and witness the grand splendor of the castle."  
Sakura slowly stirred and finally opened her eyes to the "magnificence".

"Welcome Sakura-chan to the Castle Superbia."

She starred at it for a moment till it registered.

_This is it? WOW I can just picture it back in its splendor. When it had lords and ladies, knights, elves, jesters, wizards, sages, oracles, dwarves all manner of person and thing coming to pay tribute to the king and his family. If only I could have lived then, maybe I could have been part of that court. It must have been aw inspiring, where as now its just plain terrifying. Nothing about it seems natural. It looks like it has a pestilence placed upon it. I'm not entirely sure I want to enter there._

"Ready to go in Sakura-chan?"

"…Yeah, of course. It's not like im scarred of it or anything."

Naruto looked curious at the comment. "Why would you be scarred of it?"

"…Baka…lets just go in."

"All right then. Kurama, stay out here for a little while. K buddy?"

The fox seemed like it understood but no distinct way to tell.

The castle was huge. Even with missing a whole side it still was the largest building either of them had ever been in. It seemed as if every other step they took they imagined what could be a statue or great painting. But alas all the valuables would have been stolen long ago. To know of the stories this castles wall held would be a dream come true, to hear of the scandals, great treaties, knightly duels, and other wonderful things that once happened within the grounds. Naruto and Sakura's imaginations went from a light hover to soaring wild and crazy, picturing all that once was or could have been, until the imagination stopped dead mid wing flap upon entering the throne room. There right ahead of the two was the old throne, and it was bear as well, just a slab of stone. But they dare not think of what it might have been for whatever would come to mind would surely not do it enough justice.

Sakura started the first conversation the two had in the castle since they first entered, due to before had both pairs of eyes had glazed over and mouths agape in amazement.

"This is all amazing, I can't believe I was hesitant to enter here."

"What? You were nervous?"

"NO!"

Sakura stamped off toward the thrown in a huff, kicking a few rocks as she went. Naruto stood back still soaking it all in. This was stop number one on his quest and he had to do it right, other wise his whole plan could fall to pieces. It had to work or he wouldn't be able to show his face again.

"Sakura-chan?"

Just hearing his stupid and playful voice made her forget instantly her anger at him. Even though it was a stupid reason.

_Mental note for later, find out why Naruto makes me mad so easily. Yet at the same time happy so easily._

"Yes?"

"Do me a favor and look for anything suspicious."

_Suspicious? What could be suspicious we are in an old rotting castle what does he expect us to find, a secret passage to a goblin slave ring or something? But fine sure I'll look._

"Alright. Can do Naruto"

"Thanks a million beautiful." Naruto said with a smile, then turning around to do his own searching. And there for missing the blush on Sakura's face.

Time slowly passed and both Naruto and Sakura had been awfully quite with each other. Looking and examining walls and rooms. Sakura had brought along a diary of sorts to record everything she saw. Though nothing matched what was as Naruto had put it suspicious. The thrown room drew Sakura's attention more then the banquet hall or the ballroom. Just something seemed to be calling her there. She couldn't put her finger on it seeing as how she had checked the room ten times already. All that was really left in there was the stone lab of thrown and remnants of pillars circling the thrown.

_PILLARS! Oh Kami, I must be the stupidest person ever. Why don't I check for the fallen Pillar. Legend dictates that it was always located behind the thrown. To bad there are like 5 other pillars back there._

Sakura examined all the remains lying about very closely. And found what she believed to be looking for the remains of the 9th Pillar. All that was left was a small base, but it was clear that was it. It was covered in pictures and old writings. None of which she could read. But wrote down anyway in her small journal.

When the last word was written, Naruto just happen to stroll his lazy ass into the thrown room again.

"So find anything Sakura-chan? Because I sure didn't."

"You BAKA!" Sakura yelled at him. "Why did you not think to find the Pillar, I mean that's what you were seeking and as any learned history person knows, the Pillars were always located behind the thrown!"

Naruto turned downcast to avoid her eyes. Sakura assumed it was out of embarrassment. Naruto then put his big grin on again and scratch the back of his head.

"Oops." He said with a smile.

"Oops? How is that your answer? Oh well who cares, come look at what I got off the pillar."

Naruto started to walk towards Sakura until he stopped dead in his tracks, while facing her.

"Sakura-chan, please hide yourself right now."

"What? That's stupid! Why should…" But Naruto cut her off.

"Sakura." He said sternly, the look on his face was once again that which she saw when he fought the stupid thugs in the woods. "Hide yourself now!"

Sakura's body moved on it's own and made her hide behind the thrown. She stuck her head out a little to see what would happen.

Naruto stood perfectly still for a few seconds, he seemed to be listening to his surroundings. An arrow then flew from a balcony from above, right at the back of his head. Without flinching however Naruto caught it, at the moment it was about to have pierced his skull, between his pointer finger and his middle finger, and proceeded to twirl the arrow. He let it fly with a twitch of his wrist back toward its point of origin, and succeeded in hitting nothing but rock from the sound of it. Naruto then spun around, and Sakura finally got a good look at what was under his cloak. He had two short steel swords, in sheaths attached to his belt, there were also strange scrolls attached to it also. He wore a black chain mail shirt, with what appeared to be a silver and orange tunic on top of it. Which brought the question to Sakura's mind of why was he so comfortable to ride if he was wearing chain mail? His pants were some sort of black padded linen to provide protection for none to serious blows. The last thing he was seen wearing was a small necklace with a strange stone at the end of it.

When his spin came to a stop, he had drawn one of his steel swords, and seemed to be prepared for whatever was next. Which came rather quickly. Twelve arrows rained down toward him, and with an easy swing horizontally of his sword, all twelve arrows were destroyed. Of course however it did not end there. From every corner above a barrage of uncountable numbers of arrows flew toward Naruto. Sakura wanted to scream for him to run, and leave her, save himself. But something held her from doing it. And she realized what it was. It was Naruto's expression. He looked happy, purely and utterly happy, like he did when he looked at her when he thought she didn't notice. And that held her back, how could she deny him a simple joy for his as fighting. It was clear Naruto loved the thrill and fun of fighting, but hated killing in all its since. The arrows descended down towards Naruto, and he took his sword and shoved it blade first into the ground. He then proceeded to step on the handle and launch himself into the air, thus avoiding all the arrows. He hand launched himself up towards the balcony areas above. Upon landing, an explosion occurred. But the explosion was different, it seemed to be just a gaint ball of fire. Then the fire started to spin and spiral into what looked like a fiery tornado. Then the winds subsided and Naruto stood in the center unharmed, defiant, with fire in his eyes and second sword drawn.

"Doing well so far. But how bought we move this up a notch."

Said a voice from no position that Sakura could pinpoint. But Naruto knew from where, he was looking in his direction right now. Sakura followed his eyes and saw him, or it. A person covered in an all black cloak was standing not 20 yards from Naruto.

The man drew from his cloak a sword of his own, but different from Naruto's. This one was a katana, and from the apparent stance the man was taking he was proficient in it. He lunged at Naruto, and Naruto did the same. The swords clashed sending a few sparks in the air. The two backed off, then the person lunged again, and Naruto didn't return this time but went flat on his back. The man apparently saw this and turned his lunge into a downward slash towards Naruto's body. But Naruto brought his feet up and caught the blade between his boots. Then using leg force kicked the katana into the air, and brought himself up a little and did a low slash, making the unknown one jump into a back flip. And in the flip Sakura saw he was wearing similar pants to Naruto, only blue. The man came up from his flip and caught his sword. And swung as Naruto lunged. Naruto sidestepped and hit the wall. The shrouded man then cut in an upward diagonal slash in his direction hoping to cleave Naruto's body in such a way it would just slide off itself.

Naruto saw it coming and blocked the katana with his own sword. The two were in a bit of a power struggle with one another, one pinning the other to a wall. If Naruto let up he would die, if the other let up Naruto would get out, granted his consequences weren't as bad, but he was damned if that would happen. Naruto, while keeping the pressure on the sword, swung he leg around and kicked the man in his open side sending him flying off the balcony to the thrown room below. The man hit the ground hard. In the second it took the man to recover and get up Naruto jumped down after him. Naruto slowly walked to the man, while he was on his knee. Then an arrow flew from the man's cloak and while Naruto easily dogged it, he wasn't so lucky in avoiding the backside of the katana hitting him square in the cheek. Naruto flew back a few feet, and recovered just in time to counter the man's attack.

Sakura could tell both men were getting more worked up and what they started doing, it was almost barbaric, yet poetic. The carnage they inflicted on each other was maddening. It was almost like an elegant ballroom dance with swords. They rarely moved but there swords were flying at paces to fast to see. Block, attack, block, attack, counter attack, dodge, secret attack, and block opponent's secret attack, this pattern continued between the two. Their dance of the blades was intoxicating. Sakura felt herself get really into, just waiting to see what the next sword swing would bring. They started picking up the pace even more. Now the dance was incorporating the whole thrown room flying back and forth, slashing and blocking, slashing and blocking. And Naruto's joy seemed to grow greater every swing.

Throughout this time both were getting pretty torn up and the hood of the mystery man had been cut many times, to show he had black hair with blue tents to it and he had jet black eyes. But his appearance didn't matter; all that did matter was that he lost. He swung at Naruto's head, and Naruto brought his sword up and blocked, but kept running at him so their swords slid on each other. When Naruto made it to the man he gave him a good old fashion head but, knocking him down and back. Naruto just stood there waiting for the man to get up. Sakura was wondering why he didn't just finish him, but she guessed Naruto honored chivalry. He slowly stood up. The twos eyes met, Cerulean on Onyx. They did one final charge swords raised high. When they were about to clash Naruto did something expected. Instead of swinging he used his sword to knock the other man's away, and used his foot to kick him into the air. He jumped after him and started to turn himself, punched him with his right hand, then kicked him with his right leg, then completing the spin, hit the man square in the chest with the sword, sending him flying through the window at the far end of the thrown room.

Naruto ran to the window and jumped up into it. Sakura thought he would go out and continue the fight, but instead he just started laughing his head off.

_Ok that's odd, he just goes through that incredible battle then starts laughing?_

Naruto jumped out the window leisurely. And no more sounds of fighting were heard. So after waiting a few minutes, getting curious Sakura walked over to the wall the window was on, of course it was to high for her to jump to but hopefully she could hear what was happening.

"So that's what happened."

"I see, so that's why you didn't fight near the thrown."

Sakura assumed that comment was because she was near it and he didn't want to get her hurt, which she found very sweet, but why were they talking about stuff like that?

"You say, all the info has been collected that you needed from here. Fine, ill move on then. Damnit Dobe! You made me wait for you, and then you ditch me! You better be happy I'm doing this; I have more important things to do with my time then your little errands."

"Yeah I know you wont shut up about it how precious your time is, now how bought you take that stick out of your ass Teme. I'll see you later, send word if anything comes up."

"Alright, but don't think I'm letting you off the hook here with that piece of pink bubble gum. She put us both in serious risk, you better get rid of her soon, or she is gonna get you killed."

Sakura knew they were talking of her now.

_Am I really that much of a risk?_

"Don't talk of her like that dick! You have no idea who she is or what she is capable of!"

"Defend your little girlfriend then, but don't come crying to me when the Ichibi has her by the throat and you by the balls."

"Get going…"

The man left without saying another word.

No more noise was heard from Sakura's end.

_Wow! He defended me so valiantly, but who was that guy and what does it have to do with the one tailed demon?_

Naruto jumped back in the window, and started to look around. He surveyed the damage in the room; the only part not hurt was the area right around the thrown.

"Sakura-chan, it's all right to come out now!"

Naruto yelled loudly. With Sakura looking right up at him.

"You don't have to yell you know."

He looked down. And his eyes went big. With her right there that could only mean she must have heard what they were talking about.

"Eh…how long have you been there?" Naruto asked nervously.

"Long enough." She said coldly. "Now who was that."

Naruto scratched his head and smiled nervously.

"That Sakura-chan, was well…one of my best friends, named Uchiha Sasuke."


	5. P1:C4: Fiery Argument

I dont own Naruto

_Thoughts_

"Speaking"

* * *

Chapter 4 

_One of his best friends? A best friend who tries his hardest to end the life of the other? And from the look of it Naruto didn't pull any punches either. What the hell kind of relationship is that? And what is going on that Naruto doesn't want to tell me about it, but will openly discuss it with "Uchiha Sasuke", and what does it have to do with the Ichibi? What is the point of me thinking about all this, no answer will just randomly pop into my head. If Naruto doesn't want to tell me, then obviously I'm not worthy of knowing it, after all I am just some liability that is going to get him and myself killed, so I guess it's a good thing that all this will just be a memory, because I'm going home today, probably never to meet Naruto again. So why should I care so much about this trip and what happened. If he wants to beat the crap out of his friends then so be it. I don't even care…that's not true. Of course I care. I care a lot. Just this small trip has made me feel alive for the first time in a long time. I want to continue on it, and I want to stay with Naruto, he is such a fun person to be around, it makes this trip even better to have fun on it, plus cute butt to look at while we walk. Oh I shouldn't think about stuff like that. Ok then I've made up my mind, I will talk to Naruto about all this in the morning, and if he agrees to have me on the rest of the trip, then ill just have to think up some way to sweet talk that old mother of mine. She knows I love the past and that I yearn to see the world, she will understand right? …What do I expect? An answer? It's not like someone is going to talk to me in my own head. I won't know what will happen till I get back home to the Inn, besides that is just step 2, I need to make it past step 1 first. I hope Naruto isn't to upset with how I reacted yesterday. I mean hitting him into the wall and yelling at him like that wasn't the ideal way to start the extraction process for information. Well it doesn't matter, I am determined now, and I will discuss this with him over breakfast. For now I have to wait for him to wake up. How much longer could that take?_

_

* * *

_"Ok come on Naruto, wake up." 

But he doesn't move, and continues to sleep peacefully. His facial expression shows that he doesn't have a care in the world, and that everything is springtime and sunshine.

"I wish I could sleep like that. Ok Naruto seriously its like noon. Time to get the hell up."

Still nothing, except that he now rolled over.

_Baka, maybe I should just kick him with all the power I can muster. That will surely wake him up. But that might make him angrier with me, and I need him in a good mood. Ok I know i'll cook him a nice lunch and the intoxicating aroma should wake him up and everything will be peachy and I can ask him if I can come along. Good plan._

So Sakura set to the task of making a lunch. The only thing she was able to find was some dried meat and bread.

_So I can cook the meat and have bread as a side, sounds good to me._

The smell was a good one Sakura had to admit. When she wanted to be she could be a rather good cook. When the meat was just about done the scent finally did it its job and woke up Naruto from his slumber. Yawning while he got up and wiping the sleep from his eyes, he looked around with a very tired expression.

"Morning, Sakura-chan." Yawn, "Something smells wonderful."

"Glad you think so. I was making lunch."

"Lunch…Good time to wake up, not to early not to late."

Sakura's mouth dropped in shock. _You gotta be kidding me_.

"So what did you go about making?"

"I cooked some dried meat I found in your bag, and we also have bread."

"Good I was hoping we ate that meat soon."

Naruto walked over to the small make shift kitchen to get his plate of food. When he sat down to eat, Sakura also started to eat her meal, she tried to not eat it to fast to seem like a pig but she was really hungry. She had been up for 4 more hours then Naruto had been so she had been feeling really hungry.

The two sat in silence eating for a little while. Sakura was thinking it was now or never to ask he questions, but she couldn't seem to articulate her thoughts. They were traveling from her brain down to her mouth but she just wasn't saying them. She was honestly afraid he would reject her questions and not give her any answers. She was starting to grow more and more panicked.

Naruto put his plate down and just looked at her with the ocean blue eyes that were starting to look like whirlpools that by continuing to look into them she would be swept into the current and drown. Sakura diverted her eyes.

"Just ask your questions already will you, the unease your giving off is making me all uneasy myself not to mention a bit fidgety."

Naruto saw right through her and told her right out to say what she wanted to. He had even said it with a smile to try to calm her down.

"Fine ill come right out with it. What are you doing on this journey?"

Naruto just smiled.

"I believe I already answered that question."

"Don't give me that. I heard most of the conversation between you and Uchiha-san. I know there is more going on here." Sakura waited a moment. "So please, Naruto, what are you doing on this journey?"

"I already told you."

Sakura was getting a bit frustrated.

"Ok then if that is all it is, I want to come with you."

Naruto was taken aback by this, more then when she first asked. Because this wasn't a request with puppy dog eyes behind it, this was a direct statement with no hesitation in her eyes.

"What about your mother wouldn't she be upset that you didn't come home?"

Naruto tried to play it off with a smile bringing her mother into it.

"I can get my mother to let me go, that isn't a factor here, so I want to accompany you on your journey to see the castles and pillars, and if that is all your journey is then I shouldn't hear any back talk right?"

Naruto saw the logic, but shot it down.

"You can not come with me."

"And why not?"

Naruto said his next statement without thinking, so he didn't notice his slip of the tongue if one could call it that.

"I don't want you getting hurt."

"And why would I get hurt, if I came with you?"

"Um…"

"Because there is more to it, right? You are doing something involving the demons, and that Uchiha person is in on it, who i might add you just fought in a life and death battle and you just laughed it off. You are willing to tell him of your trip. Still I see through your lie Naruto, now tell me what you are doing on your trip!"

Sakura had a demanding tone about her she wanted the truth.

"I already told you. There isn't anymore to it."

Sakura was getting mad now; his repetitive answer was really working her last nerve.

"Then why can't I come with you?!" She questioned almost shouting.

"Because I couldn't bear it if you got hurt."

Naruto was doing the best he could to keep his cool, but his patience with her was wearing thin.

"Because I am just a liability like Uchiha-san said right? If I come I'm just going to get you killed. And we cant have that happen now can we?"

"I never said that!"

"You don't have to, its obvious that is how you think of me! The poor little girl who can't handle herself! If I come with you I would just be a handicap that would get the great Uzumaki-san killed! Right?"

"No! If you actually did hear the conversation between me and Sasuke, you would have heard me defend you when he called you that!"

They were now just shouting at each other.

"Because you knew I was there! You had everything else down, you who can catch an arrow between your fingers, you could surely have known I was behind a wall. You were just trying to save face!"

"Now listen, I did in fact mean what I said, If I had thought you were completely helpless I wouldn't have even brought you here in the first place!"

"I can't believe I wanted to go with you, kami forbid I actually enjoyed your company. I can't even think of why I wanted to come here in the first place!"

"You asked me to come, practically begged me! You were almost offering yourself to me so you could come along!"

"I know why you brought me here! It was just for sex wasn't it?!"

That was not what Naruto was expecting; this girl was so far the best person he knew at unexpected responses.

"You brought me here to see that fight, it was all probably staged. There is no mission; you aren't on some greater quest. You are just an asshole traveler who works with his partner for sex! You thought I would fall into your arms the moment you won that fight. That's why your fight was so poetic wasn't it?! It has been practiced; you knew exactly what to do, so there was no chance for either of you two to die! But I must say that little tidbit outside the wall was a nice touch, you just didn't think I would react like this. You figured if I heard you defending my honor It would be even more a sure thing! Right?"

Naruto was positively speechless. In a totally of 10 minutes the two had gone from a nice pleasant meal to at each other's throat. Now he was being accused of being a traveling pervert who just went places saving girls for quick sex. All he could think to do was sit there speechless.

"Fine, Uzumaki-san, your silence says it all. I will get myself home, and you had better not follow me. I'm terribly sorry I met your lying, deceiving, and con artist ass of a self. And I hope I never see you again."

Sakura picked up her bag and left the castle without so much as a second glance. She silently and coldly walked by Kurama, not even acknowledging the fox, seeing him as an accomplice to this whole charade.

_Did that really just happen? I can't seem to grasp my mind around this. That damn woman. Oh man she was unbearable. How did she get under my skin so much?_

Naruto laid back down upon the castle floor with his thoughts. Letting all of it sink in, and contemplating every word said.

_It doesn't make sense, there wasn't any way two regular people could turn that conversation into that kind of an argument. _

While he contemplated it all Kurama wandered in and laid down upon his master's stomach.

"Kurama be glad foxes can't talk, other wise the female foxes would bitch at you for apparently being a horn dog for no reason."

* * *

After a day's worth of walking through the forest back towards her town, Sakura had tried to blow off some of her steam but she couldn't seem to get it out of her. The more she thought about it she got angry, then sad, then remorseful, then happy, then angry again. It was a cycle she couldn't break all because she had a fight with some stupid blonde boy. 

_The jerk, how could he think me a piece of meat like that? That's all I was to that jackass some sex doll he would swoon then take. But really how can I think that about him. He was actually a really sweet gentleman. How could I say all that to him? He was just being nice taking me there; he wasn't trying to have sex with me. If that was the case, he had the power he could have raped me at any time he wanted. And I mean it's his life, I had no right to demand that information from him. Yes he was being difficult, but I had no right to blow up at him. Man why did I blow up at him so badly? It makes no sense, how could two normal people turn a conversation into a yelling contest like that? I wish I could apologize, but he probably already left the castle on his trip and there is no way I could catch his speed. I want him to know I didn't mean what I said I was glad I met him; he made me so alive just by being near him. Hopefully I can get home soon, and just cry in my room. If it wasn't for me being a bitch to him he would be here right now and we would at have had a few more days to enjoy each other's company. Maybe he's actually on his way to me right now. To tell me it's ok that we both over reacted and then everything would be all right. Oh to have him carry me again, I felt so at piece and comfy. Damn I never asked how he was comfortable with chain mail on. But honestly he in all probability would only come after me and apologize to have another shot to get in my pants. That PIG! That's all he wanted the whole time. He just saw me as a piece of meat._

The pattern continued like that for 3 days without her knowledge that she had been walking that long and had not taken any breaks. She hadn't even gotten hungry yet. The walking and endless repetitive thought cycle finally got to her, with just a full system shut down, the outcome being falling on her face and going unconscious.

* * *

_It started out with just feelings. Different urges, different pains generating from inside my body. I can't describe it. It makes no logical sense, how can I have physical pains when there is no body for the pain to harbor itself in? It is an intense feeling however; with or without a physical manifestation the pain is real. It's a hand I think. Yes that must be it. There is a hand holding my heart. The feeling seems to be that every time my heart beats someone squeezes my heart, and they must have daggers for nails because every squeeze is an overwhelming pain. I can fight through it though, If I can't I'm just weak. Oh wait a moment here, my body is coming together. I wonder why it has to be pieced together. Wasn't I already whole? It doesn't matter I guess, maybe with the body coming together this pain will subside and I can go about my business. But that doesn't make sense, what business do I have to do, and couldn't I do it with pain anyway. OH Wow even with this pain I didn't realize how comfortable this chair is, its like I'm sitting on a cloud. Wait a moment; I wasn't sitting on a chair, what is going on? Am I loosing all logical thought? No I think I see something here…yes my eyes are definitely in my head again. Was I missing them? Or were my eyes just closed? No time to think about that, what am I looking at? Whatever this thing is it's blurry, while it is big and grand and bright. KAMI! If this damn heart pain wasn't so fucking bad, in my chest, maybe I could concentrate on what I was looking at more. Ok come on focus, it's a swirl I think, yes some sort of swirl…maybe a banner, with blurry colored things around and near the swirl. OW my heart, I don't think…I can…go on…_

* * *

"Man my head hurts!" Sakura proclaimed to the world as she awoke from her faint from exhaustion. 

"Oh, my head hit a rock when I fell down, that is probably why. I wonder how long I have been out, and how close I am to home?"

Sakura stood up from the ground and stretched her arms and legs. After looking down at herself she saw how filthy her outfit was. Taking into account the fact she was from a poor village, the outfits weren't terribly fancy; they had just been a basic coarse linen fabric, with red and blue dyes. The one she had worn the day her and Naruto arrived at the castle had been her favorite, a pink top made of actual cotton, something her mom had gotten her for her 17th birthday, and black linen pants. And the fact she hadn't bothered to change out of it after all that happened, it was now a complete mess.

"Man, my best clothes all ruined because of Naruto-baka. But just cause he is a baka, doesn't mean I don't miss him…"

Sakura made herself feel depressed again, for chasing off the cute brave boy who had some secret agenda.

"I guess having secrets made him mysterious. But also a prick, yes I cannot forget that."

Sakura started walking again in the direction she had been laying.

_I guess I was facing the way of home, I hope I don't have to long of a walk left._

She walked and walked. She was no longer distracted by her thoughts, she was dead set on getting home. Course there were a few stops, food, sleep, bathroom. But when it wasn't necessary Sakura saw no reason to stop, the sooner she got home and forgot this wretched trip the better.

After 3 more days of walking, Sakura finally started to recognize some of the scenery.

"Hey I know that hill!" Sakura squealed excitedly. "I must be close, half days walk tops."

The sunset occurred, and the cool night breeze set it. Yet the sky in the direction she was walking was still bright, and she was slowly getting warmer.

"Well that defies logic. And the town doesn't have any special kind of lighting."

As she walked closer and closer, the light got brighter, and the heat only increased. Sakura once again could not use her logical sense of mind since she was exhausted for walking a good 6 days straight, with very little rest. It wasn't till she got to the edge of the forest at the top of the hill over looking the town did the truth settle in on her.

"Kami no…" Sakura whispered in an almost inaudible tone. The village was ablaze. All of it was burning, and the screams of the villagers were just as strong as the flames.

"Mom!" Was all Sakura could shout as she ran her heart out down towards the town. The heat on her skin was unbearable. The only thought that came to her mind that wasn't complete panic was along the lines of, "Ow, fire hot."

The heat of the blaze only got hotter as she entered the town. All the houses she had known, all the shops she had visited, all were up in the flames. But she paid them no mind, Sakura was even drowning out the screams of people trapped in their burning houses. There was no chance they could be saved, and Sakura was only concerned with her mother right now. The lives of the other villagers wouldn't cross her mind till she knew her mom was safe.

Something did eventual bring her out of her daze. It was laughter, a laugh of joy and ecstasy. Someone out there was getting off on this horrible incident, and that brought Sakura out of her mother finding state of mind. That didn't stop her from running towards her mother's inn however. For her mother's safety was her top priority. As she ran towards The Floating Petal Inn the laughter only got stronger. Meaning that this psycho had to be near the inn.

_Only one more street now, hold on mom, I'm coming. PLEASE hold on._

She kept running, made her turn at the corner, and didn't stop until she was in the half way down the road staring at the inn and the man in the middle of the street laughing his head off. Sakura didn't have time for this man she HAD to find her mom. So she ran up to the burning building of The Floating Petal Inn. She saw it all, all the small and insignificant details of the Inn that she had taken for granted burning. On the porch entrance, the crooked sign was chard and you couldn't read the t, f, o, i, n, or the g, of the first 2 words on the sign, and the rest was slowly burning away. The old rocking chair on the porch was rocking even while burning. The support poles for the roof above the porch used to be white, and now they were jet black and the bases were almost burned completely away. The old squeaky floor bored in front of the door, would squeak no longer, the porch swing would swing no more. All these thoughts bombarding Sakura while she just stood there.

_After running all the way here, am I too scared to go in and save her? …No I have to save her. Suck it up Sakura, what would Naruto do? He would just do it to, run in arms waving and save her._

As strange of a thought as it was for her, and hating herself for thinking of Naruto at a time like this, it worked. She found her courage again and ran straight for the burning door. She was now wishing she was back running through the village thinking of how hot it was, the heat of actually hitting flaming wood and running through the fire was like daggers cutting her skin again and again. In a nutshell it wasn't a pleasant feeling being burned in fire, and she decided if she lived through this to tell people to not go trying it.

There was only a second to decided, kitchen or upstairs? Where could her mother be? The choice was made, upstairs, for with the time of day it was her mother would have been in her bedroom. The stairs were unstable and many of them fell through. But the adrenaline kept Sakura going, nothing would stop her. She made it up the stairs, and all the guest rooms were on fire, no surprise, and the floor was falling apart from the heat and the burning wood. And there at the very end of the hall was her mother's room. She ran and ran, the floor giving out behind her from the weight and pressure she was putting on the floor. The run down the hall felt like an eternity, the pain of the fire on her skin, the smoke filling up her lungs. But she wouldn't give up she had to make it to the bedroom.

The door of the bedroom seemed even hotter then all the other fire, like the flames were taunting her, just daring her to try to bust through and save her mother. Though the flames were strong Sakura's determination was stronger. She broke down that door easily. She was here in her mother's room, ready to rescue her. But what she saw was not what she imagined. For some reason she had pictured her mother was going to be sitting on the bed reading some book she had read a millions times already, completely oblivious to the fact that the village was burning. And that everything in the room would be perfectly normal. Her mother would get up and try to grab her few precious trinkets before they head out, with Sakura hurrying her on because the building was burning and she didn't want to stay in it. That unfortunately was not what awaited Sakura in her mother's room. The right side of the room had an almost cave in. The rafter had fallen and with it brought down a whole section of the roof. The bed was broken in half by the burnt rafter and there were holes in the floor where the fire had already eaten through. But none of that mattered, what did was the thing Sakura saw underneath the rafter and pieces of ceiling. An arm stuck out from the wreckage. The arm and hand were grotesque to look at, but she couldn't turn away. The skin was charred in so many places, and at others it looked like the skin had actually started to melt. The arm was also broken in so many places it looked like someone had a black melting staircase for an arm. Sakura felt very sick like she was going to throw up. When she first saw it she was scarred, but saw a tiny light of hope that it might not be her mother. Well that thought quickly left her when she saw the ring the hand was wearing. It was the ring her father had given her mother. A small silver band covered in rubies, and one sapphire, they weren't that big but the ring was still beautiful. And Sakura's mother never took it off. So there was no mistaking the fact she was staring at her dead mother under a pile of debris.

Sakura had forgotten all about the fire. It wasn't existent anymore. Just the thought her mother was dead right in front of her, was all that was occupying her mind. The floor then started to give and Sakura's body moved on its own for the second time in a week. She ran to the window and jumped out. Her mind wanted to stay and weep for her mommy, but her body clearly wanted to live. She hit the ground right as the building collapsed. She was burned and bruised and cut up all over. Feeling that she didn't have the strength to stand Sakura considered just lying there to die, so she could be with her mother.

What awoke her from her daze this time wasn't the laughter of the crazy man, but the arms of the crazy man himself. She looked into his eyes, a very bland and dirty brown eye color with red hair. He also appeared to have pointed ears and no nose. As he held her he spoke to her in a crazy tone that could only be achieved by someone who had gone completely mental.

"To bad the fire didn't kill you. I guess I'll just have to do it."

The thing raised a dagger up into the air, and he resumed his crazy laughter. He brought the dagger down.

Sakura had met her wits end, and decided to just pummel this man into the dirt to take out all the rage she was feeling. She brought her arm up and caught the knife in her arm instead of her head. The thing went wide-eyed at the act. Sakura then brought her other fist into the man's face, and he dropped like a ton of bricks. He was on the ground now, and she removed the knife from her arm, and started what she had decided to do, and just pound him into the dirt.

After the twentieth hit the rage wasn't subsiding. But a strange noise was growing. Upon finally taking a break from the hitting Sakura looked up and saw that the burning building she was in the shadow of was about to fall, and the noise was it preparing itself.

It came down hard, though Sakura avoided it. How she didn't know, it just seemed like the wind just shoved her right out of the path of the buildings collapse. She had lost all her strength to even stand the adrenaline had worn off. The fall seemed slow, but it didn't matter to her either way she would hit the ground. Her eyes closed and she lost consciousness again before she ever hit the ground.

_Whoever's arm's I'm in they are so damn comfy. Wait a moment I know this comfort!_

Sakura opened her eyes and found herself in the arms of Naruto, at the top of the hill leading to the forest, over looking the burning city. He was just standing on the hill holding her.

"Naruto…"

"Hey there." He said with such a gentle tone, and a smile.

All the feelings of pain and loss once again swept Sakura as she turned her head to face the village again, loosing her mother, all the people that died because of the fact she was obsessed with finding her mom, she let them all die for nothing now. So she let her feelings out on Naruto, as tears started to well up in her eyes.

"It's your fault! It's all your fault!" Sakura yelled as the tears came streaming down her face.

"If you hadn't made me walk here by myself and we had gone at your pace, I could have made it in time to save everyone!" The tears came stronger.

"If you had just told me something I had wanted to hear, we would have been here in time." Stronger still, and now she was pounding on his chest.

"It's all your fault. It I hadn't even gone with you, I could have been here, saved my mom, saved the villagers…saved my mom. IT'S ALL YOUR FAULT!" She cried and cried, and who was to blame her, this was a time when tears were allowed.

"Well, aren't you gonna say anything to defend yourself?!"

Sakura looked up at him with red eyes from already crying so much. And all he said was, "I'm sorry." Sakura couldn't respond, she knew it really wasn't his fault but she just felt she had to place the blame somewhere. She continued to cry and sat on the ground. Naruto came with her, and just held her close to him while she cried. Stroking her hair, and just keeping her close was all her could do. She needed someone to hold and cry on and that's what he would be.

The heavy crying eventually made her fall asleep. When she was sound asleep from pure exhaustion. Naruto spoke again.

"I am sorry Sakura-chan, sorry I caused all this."

* * *

Hey guys, if you have read this far congratulations.

It might be a little bit before the next chapter, i know i did these first ones pretty fast, but that was cause the ideas were all right there, so i have to think up what will happen next, feel free to pitch an idea or two, also let me know if i should even continue no point to write a story if people arent enjoying it.

Thanks for the reviews i got up till now.


	6. P1:C5: Ashes and Roses

I dont own Naruto

_Thoughts_

"Speaking"

* * *

Chapter 5

In the 9th kingdom it wasn't hard to find fields of grass, the grass might be dead and prickly but it was still grass. A field of living flowers however was something that almost never existed, yet here it was vast and never ending, a field of gerber daisies. They were all different colors and it was breathtaking to see. The field was bordered by the most wonderfully full and tall oak trees, which with the flowers just made it a picture perfect landscape. And running through this field of magnificence was a little girl, no more then 5 years of age. The little one had pink hair with a silk red ribbon, which tied her long hair into a ponytail, and one of the happiest pairs of green eyes ever. The little one was chasing an older woman. This woman had short light red hair, with brown eyes. The two were wearing matching cotton dresses, clearly custom made. The dresses were a simple design of red with a yellow flower going up the center. The pair looked so happy running through the field.

"Mommy!" The little girl shouted with excitement in her voice. This was the best experience the little 5 year old had ever had.

"Come on dear, try to catch me." The mother told her child jokingly. The girl thought her mother's voice was that of an angel, it always made her feel better and it was just lyrical to listen to. The mother started running further away from the girl.

"Alright, I will!" The little child started running faster, smiling even brighter. Her mother brought her to a wonderful field of flowers that was unheard of in this day and age.

"Mommy." The girl said giggling. She loved her mother so much. But then why was her mother getting further away?

"Mommy? Your getting to far Mommy I can't keep up."

The girl said trying to run even faster then her little legs could take. But the mother wasn't slowing down, nor was she speeding up. She just stayed the same distance away. The girl still tried to catch her though, running faster and faster.

The flowers slowly started to dissipate and leave the field after a while of running. The grass started to slowly die after the flowers were gone. When the ground was nothing but dirt, the trees slowly started to wither and decay as well. But the little girl kept running after her mom. She couldn't bear to lose her.

"Mooommmmyyyyy!" The girl yelled pleadingly. "Please stop and wait for my Mommy!"

To no avail, the mother did not stop but just maintained that gap between to the two. The trees were soon dead and dried husks and the road was crack and barren. The picture perfect ness of the scene had long sense faded and what was left was just another stretch of street in the world.

The little pink haired girl's feet were hurting so bad now, for she had been running without shoes. Her feet were blistering and red from the awful roadway. Very soon she tripped on a crack and fell and skinned her knee.

"Owwy!"

She started sniffling, the fall hurt and now her knee was all banged up, she needed her mother to come back and kiss it better.

"Mommy! I fell and it hurts, please help!" She said holding back her tears.

"Come on honey, you almost caught me."

The mother was just smiling at her daughter while she was crying and bleeding a little. Why was she not more concerned, was all that penetrated the girls mind. While looking to her mom for comfort that wasn't coming for some reason, something was appearing behind her mother.

"Mommy…what's that?" The girl tried to say without sniffling more from the pain in her knee.

The mom didn't look, and just kept taunting the girl.

"Get up, you can still catch me." The smile wouldn't leave the mom's face. Even while whatever it was, was growing behind her. Whatever it was it sure was round and apparently furry. A line slowly formed at the bottom of the circular red furred mound. And the line started moving up the circle. When the line reached the top of the circle it became very clear to the small child what was behind her smiling mother.

It was an eye. A deep red eye that showed so much anger and hatred. The eye clearly wasn't human as it had a slit down the middle instead of usual round pupil. It seemed to be looking right at the girl, yet through her at the same time, like it was trying to look at your soul and then burn a whole through it with it's incredibly evil stare.

The eye's attention changed from the girl to her mother.

"MOMMY LOOK OUT!" But it wasn't any use the mother just kept smiling.

The eye seemed to accomplish its goal on her mother, for the mom burst in sudden flames. The girl had to watch in horror as the strange red eye burned her mother to cinders. All the while the girl just cried and screamed for her mother.

"MOMMY! NO MOMMY!"

* * *

"MOMMY!"

Sakura shot up from the terrible nightmare she had just endured. It was so awful, seeing her mother burn again, and that awful red eye.

_That was an awful dream, my mother died and oh my kami that eye was terrible. Wait my mother died. MY MOTHER DIED!_

"NO MOM!"

Sakura tried to stand up far to quickly, and found her wounds from the previous night's fire to be to server so she fell back down.

"Damn these wounds! …Wait? Someone bandaged my wounds?" Sakura examined herself and found that all the burns had been given a strange ointment then bandaged. While all the scrapes and cuts were cleaned and also bandaged.

"But who would have done that?" It took a moment for her to remember the end of the evening, Naruto had rescued her from the burning city, and then she had blamed it all on him. She was filled then with a wave of guilt.

"It wasn't his fault, I need to apologize. …For him to have bandaged me…" Sakura started to blush furiously, Naruto must have seen her naked.

_He saw me naked to clean and tend my wounds. Man I must have been a mess. That's not how I had wanted him to see me naked. Woo, there I did not just think that._

Finally thinking it would be a good idea to take in her surroundings to see if she could gauge where she was or where Naruto was. It became apparent she was in the woods just on the outskirts of town. She had been placed on a bed of dried leaves, with Naruto's strange cloak for a pillow, and lying next to her was Kurama asleep, curled up in a ball on Naruto's orange tunic and black chain mail, and there sticking out of the middle of Kurama like he was a vase was 3 red roses.

_Awe, that's so sweet of him to bring me flowers. So I guess that means he isn't to mad at me. If only I knew where he was right now I would tackle him in a hug. Now if only it didn't hurt to move._

* * *

Naruto had been up the whole night, he couldn't sleep a wink with all the guilt he was feeling for what happened to Sakura and her village. After tending to Sakura's injuries, which wasn't too terribly awful in Naruto's mind. He sat upon the hill that used to over look the village watching the town slowly turn from wood to ash. Around 5 in the morning it had finally stopped, and barely anything was left standing. There were a few stray support beams here and there but the rest was dust in the wind.

_I have got to do something for this poor village. Something to commemorate the people that uselessly lost their lives. Maybe I could build some sort of memorial. But I have to do this by hand; the people deserve that at the very least. But what can you make out of ash and cinders?_

Dawn finally broke around 6 o'clock, and Naruto set to his task. He started with walking down to the village to see if anything could be salvaged. It was hard to find anything in that mess, if it hadn't been burned to nothingness yet, or it disintegrated just by touching it.

"If only I had a shovel, that would help loads!"

Lady Luck was not smiling on Naruto today. So he was forced to start clearing all the wreckage with his hands.

It went like that for 3 hours, picking up a pile of ash and moving into another pile, off at the edge of town, he had started to make. Every time he came across something that resembled a chard bone or piece of clothing, Naruto put it in another pile to be given a proper burial when he was finish, for he didn't know who any of these people were. He didn't even know how many people lived in this town. So he figured he would just honor it all.

Around the end of the 3rd hour of lifting and moving, Naruto got a break. Granted it wasn't quite the shovel he had hoped for.

_Hurray! This should help, this…rake. Well better then my hands, so I shouldn't complain._

The rake did help a lot; it started making Naruto move 3 times as fast. Being able to rake everything to the big pile instead of just carrying it. The sun eventually made it to the center of the sky, telling the world the fact it was noon.

"Well I guess that's enough work right now, and I should go check on Sakura-chan, she shouldn't be awake yet but I should still check. Then maybe eat some lunch."

Naruto was never one to give up, so even with saying it was time he should stop and take a break he still worked moving ash and wreckage.

"Man it's getting hot, and this chain mail isn't breathing to well, but kami it's way to hot! Maybe I really should take my…"

Naruto cut himself off from talking when he saw something among the ash. It was a small ceramic vase that was turned upside down, and cracked. But it wasn't burned that's what drew his attention the most.

"Now that's kinda funky."

Naruto bent down and pick up the vase. He held the bottom of it in the air so that it was still upside down. Naruto examined it closely.

"Damn, ceramic clay pots hold up really well in fire. Well this is definitely tacky. I mean what kind of a vase is purple and pink with bone shapes? That's just…"

Naruto cut himself off again for the second time in a 2-minute time span. For 3 red roses had just fallen from inside the vase.

"Wow…those are really pretty."

Naruto placed the pot in the pile of things to be buried, because someone probably treasured that stupid pot, so it could be an extension of a person. Then went back to the flowers and took very delicate care to pick them up and check them.

"These are amazing, I have never seen 3 roses together before. Sakura-chan would love these!" Naruto said with joy.

"I guess, I can take my break now then, these roses must be some sort of sign. But don't worry everyone, I will be back to finish your memorial, just give me like 30 minutes. Ok? Thanks"

He reached the spot in the wood where he had set Sakura to rest, and there she was looking heavenly just sleeping with a grin on her face.

"Must be a good dream, I'm glad after what happened last night, she deserves one. But man is it still hot or what?"

So Naruto stripped off his top layer and folded up the tunic and mail and laid then in a little pile. He then kicked his fox, since it was just lying there doing nothing.

"Damn it Kurama, you're still sleeping too? Get up."

The fox didn't really reply, except for getting up, walking over, and lying on the now folded tunic.

"Lazy fox, well hold onto these flowers for Sakura-chan then will you?"

Again no sign of response. But Naruto placed them in the little grove his curled up ball body made.

"Good boy."

Naruto took in the scene he was looking at a little deeper, thinking it might have been one of the most peaceful and wonderful things he had ever seen. A beautiful angel sleeping on a bed of leaves with a lazy silver and red fox lying beside her, in the middle of a forest. For some reason this all seemed to make Sakura look more beautiful.

" If only I had some paint, and a canvas, and artistic talent, I would definitely paint this scene. Since I'm not really hungry I guess its time I got back to work, ash wont move itself. "

And Naruto set back upon his task for another 6 hours.

* * *

Sakura had found the strength to lean herself against the closest tree to where she had been lying. Surveying her environment, constantly sniffing the roses, and petting Kurama, she saw both Naruto's swords leaning against a nearby tree, and his belt with all the weird scrolls on it were hanging from the second sword.

"Maybe I should learn to use a weapon, like a sword or a battle ax. What do you think of that Kurama?"

The fox only purred do to the petting. Sakura giggled at his response to her question.

"Is that a yes?" She asked with a smile looking at the fox. Her face then took a more serious look.

"If I did know how to use one I could have saved my mother…"

"From a fire?" A voice to her left asked.

Turning her head to look at him, knowing full well it was Naruto do to his calm yet somehow playful voice. But when she saw him her response got caught in her throat. Naruto was just standing there leaning against a tree without his shirt, and the sun setting behind him. She couldn't help but stair at him and his chest.

_It is so toned and muscular. And definitely not the overly huge muscle kind, the sexy kind. And with the sun setting behind him like that he looks like an Adonis. Damnit, I have got to stop those thought, I'm corrupting myself… Hmmm, what is that gray stuff on his hands and chest?_

Naruto caught her just staring at him, but thought it was for a different reason.

"Like the necklace do you?"

It hadn't even registered in her mind that he was wearing his necklace still, but there it was. And she would admit it was nice and complemented his chest with its strange glow it gave off.

"Yeah its nice…Look Naruto about all I have said…" But Naruto wouldn't have her finish.

"No need to apologize. I deserved it."

"No! You…you didn't deserve it. You aren't the cause of the village fire, and those things I said to you at the castle, I didn't really think that, I was just stressed with what happened between you and Uchiha-san."

"Like I said I deserved it." Naruto said looking at her with a very calming and soothing smile, it almost mad Sakura forget the pain of her mother, almost.

Sakura's face turned downcast.

"Thanks for the roses, they are really beautiful."

Naruto walked over and sat beside her at the tree.

"Well glad you like them, I mean I had to travel around the ENTIRE world to find them, I better get some gratitude for them."

Sakura started giggling at the comment.

"Ok then." Sakura then quickly kissed Naruto's cheek. She turned away and started blushing pretty quickly, until a distinct taste hit her mouth.

"Naruto, what was that taste?" she asked very puzzled, it seemed familiar but her taste buds couldn't quite place it. Naruto didn't hear the question at all; he was just stunned that she kissed him. Sakura started snapping her finger in front of his face.

"Naruto? Hello earth to Naruto?" Continuing snap, he finally seemed to snap out of his daze.

"I just started fantasizing for a minute there, sorry about that. What did you ask now?"

Sakura giggled at the fact he thought he just made the whole thing up in his mind.

"I asked what you were covered in?"

"Oh that, yeah this is ash and dirt."

_That's it ash is what I taste, because I tasted it last night when…mom…_

Sakura started looking really depressed.

"Sakura-chan? I'm sorry I didn't mean to upset you."

Sakura shook her head to try to get out of her depression it worked, a little.

"No it is all right Naruto, but here is another question, stop me if it is to out there ok?"

"Sure."

"Why are you covered …YAWN"

"Looks like your tired Sakura-chan, how bought you get some sleep and you can finish that question in the morning, and then you can have your answer."

Sakura was going to protest but her body was suddenly telling her that an hour awake was as much as it could handle today.

"Fine, but you better tell me." Raising her first to shack it at him.

Naruto's facial expression changed to one of fear, he was apparently growing afraid of her punch; she would have to use that to her advantage later.

"Of course Sakura-chan, of course."

So Sakura slowly feel back asleep and Naruto stayed with her till he was sure that she wouldn't wake up again for a little while, so he left to resume his work.

* * *

Sakura woke up again to the same awful dream she had woken up from the previous day. This time the only difference though was she was able to restrain the scream for her mother upon waking up. Looking around again, she found herself once again on the bed of leaves with Naruto's cloak. The few changes to this scene was that Kurama was on her stomach and not by her side, and Naruto was sleeping in the branch of a tree across from her, he had apparently used his tunic as a pillow. Sakura remembered what Naruto had told her, that when she woke up he would answer her question on the ash. And she was far to curious to see if he would keep his promise and actually tell her something, then to let him sleep peacefully, no matter how cute he looked sleeping. So she lobbed a rock at him. And it hit its mark perfectly.

"OW! WHAT THE FUCK!" Naruto yelled gripping his head in pain and squirming and eventually falling out of the tree. Rubbing his head and now his back with as much vigor as he could muster.

"Sakura-chan, what the hell?!"

Sakura couldn't control her laughter. That was one of the funniest things she has seen in a long time. Naruto, the mighty warrior just fell out of a tree from a rock and was now all upset. The scene tickled her pink.

"Sakura-chan, it wasn't that funny!"

His comment just made her laugh harder, because to her it was hilarious. After almost 5 minutes of laughter, which had continued that long because eventually Naruto started pouting which brought her even more joy, Sakura was finally calmed down.

"Good you're done laughing at my expense. Now can you please tell me why I was beamed with a rock?"

"Right, I wanted you to answer the question I was trying to ask last night."

"Ok then…um, heh, what was that question again?"

"The question was, why were you covered in ash and dirt?"

"Oh! Let me show you." Naruto walked over to Sakura and extended his hand to help her up. "Are you good to walk?" He asked with a smile.

"Of course!" Sakura took his hand with one hand and held the roses in the other. She then stood up, and preceded to walk on her own, and found she wasn't quite as recovered, as she would have liked.

"Here let me help you." Naruto walked over and put one arm around her waist for support. Sakura turned away at the contact, and blushed.

"Thanks."

"Anytime."

Naruto led her out of the forest, then to the edge of the hill, to show her what he had done.

The only word to describe how Sakura felt right then was flabbergasted. She had been expecting to see the burnt town and maybe one or two things different. But no, the whole town area was cleared of ash and debris. There was also a new structure of some kind.

"Want a better look?" Naruto asked.

Sakura could only nod her head as Naruto started to lead her down the hill towards the once town. In the town were graves, all marked with sticks. There must have been at least 300 graves.

"Naruto how many graves are there?"

"I think my count came to 328, yes that's right."

"That's about the number of people who lived here, how did you know?"

"To be perfectly honest I didn't, I just gave a grave to anything that looked like it would deserve one."

"This was very nice of you, are they all stick graves?"

"Yes, but one of them is labeled."

"Which?"

"Your mother's, she was the only one that I knew who actually lived here so I marked the one I decided as her grave, there wasn't much to put on the note though, all you ever told me of her was her name."

"Can you take me to it?"

"Of course."

Naruto led Sakura to a grave in the front row that had a piece of paper attached to the stick. It read Haruno Ayame. Sakura fell to her knees upon seeing it, and started crying once again. Naruto knelt beside her and pulled Sakura into a close and strong hug.

"It's alright Sakura, let it all out. It's okay to shed tears at things like this, let no one tell you different. I'm sure she loved you very much and would be so moved to see how much you love her also."

Sakura recovered after a few minutes from Naruto's kind words and his support.

"Thanks."

Naruto wanted to ask Sakura about her mother, for her to remember all the good times she had with her. But knew it was still to soon, he could wait a little longer to know about Ayame, who meant everything to his Sakura-chan.

Sakura said as she wiped away the last stray tears.

"Do you mind if I give the roses to my mother?"

"There are yours to do with what you wish."

Sakura laid the roses she had in her hand on her mother's grave, and smiled.

"So what is that thing?" Sakura pointed at the large gray and black looking square.

"Wondered when you would ask about that. That is all the ash and debris from the village piled into a square, and the walls are made up of support beams and such from houses and stores to make sure it kept a shape. Ash isn't as easy to mold, as I would have hoped. It was the best memorial I could do for now. I'll come back eventually and make a better one."

Sakura was teary eyed again at the extent Naruto had gone through for her old village.

"I'm sure they appreciate this Naruto, it was so kind and thoughtful of you. Now go jump in a lake, you smell awful and your covered in soot."

Naruto put his hands behind his head and started smiling.

"Guess I should clean up before we head out."

"Head out where?"

Naruto looked at her like she was crazy.

"What do you mean? On the journey of course."

"Baka!" Sakura yelled then proceeding to hit Naruto upside the head. "Last time I ask you said no to me coming, how was I supposed to know you changed your mind."

"Well if you don't want to come then that's fine."

"No No, I still want to."

"Good, because I would love your company."

Naruto turned on his heals and started to walk away.

"Hey Baka! Aren't you going to help me back to camp?"

Naruto faced her and smiled.

"Learn to walk on your own." He concluded the statement with sticking his tongue at her.

"Jerk! When I get back to the camp, you are getting a good smacking."

"If you ever make it back."

* * *

After Naruto recovered from his savage beating by Sakura, He was ready and waiting to head out.

"So, we good to go?"

"I guess, but can you tell where we are heading first?"

"To the 1st Kingdom, I have someone there I need to talk to, then we will deal with it's pillar. Speaking of which, I will need those noted you took on Castle Superbia when we get to Castle Invidia."

"Speaking of which will I ever find out what we are actually doing?"

Naruto started laughing.

"I already told you."

_God this boy is frustrating. But luckily he makes up for it in his winning personality right?_

The two headed off out of the 9th kingdom towards the 1st kingdom's borders.

* * *

Two voices start talking to each other as they watch the pair while they walked. The first voice sounded brutish, and scruffy and possibly psychotic. Where as the second voice watching sounded calm and collected, with a very charming and elegant tone.

"The boy seems to be bearing the weight of the fire on his shoulders, you can tell he feels completely responsible."

"Well good, we don't want him having poise and confidence on his trip."

"True, but that girl seems to be a spirit booster for him, we might have to take her out of the equation."

"I say we wait and see, but if it comes down to it I have no problem ripping her cute little head from her body. That scrawny looking neck of hers looks like it breaks easy,"

"Shit, you are ruthless."

"Don't you forget it, now they seem to be headed toward your territory. You know what to do, and I might say wait and see on the girl but if it just so happens that she looses her life while she is there, I might accidentally not have being looking when that happens. Now I must be off, see to it everything goes as planned."

The second voice vanished leaving the first alone to himself.

"Hehehe, play time for me!"

* * *

Thanks for reviews so far, and sense some people are seeming to like this story ill keep going

I was able to get in another chapter farely quick, But the next one will be over a week from now cause im going on a trip.

So...review if it strikes your fancy, if not thanks for reading...thanks for reading if you reviewed also


	7. P1:C6: Ocean of Despair

I dont own Naruto

"speaking"

_Thoughts_

* * *

Chapter 6 

"Your outlook on this world is far too grim, I make a promise to you my dear Sakura-chan that on this trip I will have that mind of yours changed for the better."

"It would take a great deal to show me that there is still hope in the world, and that it hasn't been given up for a dried husk of its former self."

"You need to look beyond the decay and death, to see the beauty that our earth still has to offer."

"You do understand that was a terrible way to phrase it."

"Perhaps, but I will never claim to be an articulate poet who can spin a tale to make words far greater than gold."

"Even though that particular sentence was said beautifully."

"Thank you, I do get lucky sometimes. But I know the world is at its wits end, there is terrible tragedy in the world, but you must also be open to see the good along with the bad, or you will become a dried husk yourself."

"Please give an example my kind sire."

"Gladly me lady. Meeting you." Naruto said without so much as even dawning his thinking face.

"If this world was completely forsaken then how could I have met you?"

Naruto's words struck Sakura. The way he said that statement with such confidence made Sakura feel so warm and comforted that she forgot all the sorrow for the world she had just accumulated, it was all just washed away and along with the somber mood of the conversation. And for the first time sense sunrise Sakura dawned a smile and was happy.

"I made you smile."

Sakura was quite confused.

"What?" Sakura asked looking at the knight walking at her side.

"I did my job for the day of bringing a smile worthy of your beauty to your face."

Sakura blushed and pushed Naruto in the arm playfully.

"Such a smooth talker today aren't you? But cool your tongue let's just enjoy the walk, through sand covered hills. I mean it is such wonderful scenery it would be a waste to spoil it with ideal chatter." Sakura said with sarcasm dripping from her voice.

The three week long journey they had been on so far had led them far beyond the borders of any territory Sakura was familiar with. With the sand ever present around them it was safe to assume that they had made it within the borders of the once first kingdom.

The accursed sand was everywhere. It stretched on for miles; the Ocean of Despair was the name Naruto had told Sakura, apply named for the fact it was once a great sea before the coming of the demon to this land. Where as the Kyubi that controlled Sakura's old home had a soft spot for nature, apparently the Ichibi was obsessed with sand and heat. For right now the only thing worse than the endless sand was the scorching sun that made the sand that much worse.

"It is so hot!" Sakura said to no one in particular.

"Oh what happened to enjoying the scenery?"

"Shut up you baka. How much further do we have to go till we get to this place and talk to this guy you are so determined to see. I mean cant we just get to the pillar and be on our way?"

Naruto couldn't hold bake his laugh at this young woman complaining like a child.

"Come now Sakura-chan it isn't that much further away, a week, a week and a half tops. Beside you have my incredible company to keep you occupied in that time."

Sakura sighed exasperatedly.

"Yes, the unbelievable company of one Uzumaki Naruto, will all but make up for the grueling walk in the hot sun with scorching sand all about us. So yes thank you so very much."

Naruto scratched the back of his head and smiled.

"Well you're so very welcome, I didn't know I did all that with my company."

BAM! Sakura wacked Naruto upside the head, and he fell head first into the sand.

"You Baka! I was being sarcastic. Now get up you are embarrassing me."

Pulling himself out of the sand Naruto started to laugh.

"I guess I deserved that, all right coming."

The rest of the day was calm and relaxing, even in the hot sun Sakura started to not mind so much. Naruto had been right though, his company was enjoyable and made the heat less hot and the sand not so dry. And so far Sakura was enjoying her journey, but did doubt Naruto could change her world views so easily as he was assured he could.

The day past to night, and the darkness of this dessert was almost as bad as the light. For come night fall the fire that seemed to envelope everything turned to ice, all with the simple setting of the sun.

It had become almost automatic, the moment Sakura would even give hint of a shiver, Naruto's cloak was draped about her and it was always so warm. Sakura once asked as to why Naruto gave it so willingly and had no concern for his own body heat. His response was that he always seemed warm. Sakura had blown the excuse off a one of just male pride, but on a night a few days back when the cold had become unbearable the two shared a blanket, to help with body heat, making sure to tell Naruto that if he even tried anything funny he would never have children. Sakura did discover that night that Naruto seemed to be unnaturally warm and thus snuggled closer. When she had awoken Sakura had found that she was wrapped around Naruto and was so comfortable and warm, but was scared of the position she had found herself in and on instinct beat Naruto up for it, but he was never told what he had done.

Tonight was no acceptation to the pattern, and Sakura found herself wrapped in the cloak. She always marveled at the entrecit patterns of swirls and spirals on the cloak, going between, silver, orange and black. The orange was a bit silly but it made the cloak complete somehow.

"Naruto, I have been wearing this every night now for the past few weeks. But I never bothered to ask where you got it. It feels as comfortable as silk, but I strong and sturdy, almost like your chain mail. So tell me who made you such a fantastic garment."

"Glad you like it." Naruto aid smiling at the young woman walking with him. "Truth is, that cloak was made custom for me as you most likely guessed. As for who made it I cannot give you his name for he swore that none of his customers can give away who his is. And seeing as I enjoy that cloak so much, I felt best to honor the old man's request, but I was still curious that if no customer could reveal who he was how did he get business?"

"You found him didn't you? It must be a walk in thing."

"Actually no, he found me, told me he needed to make it for me. It all happened in a town to the north. I can tell you however what he was. He was a wizard."

Sakura started laughing at that comment.

"What is so funny Sakura-chan?"

"A wizard tailor? Come now you must be joking. I mean not only is that just silly but the fact is magic is dead."

Naruto became quite confused here.

"Man you make me so confused a lot. You can't be serious. Magic, dead?"

"Yes, it is." Sakura said without hesitation.

"Then pray tell, how did you come about that assumption."

"I was told, by one of the last few mages."

Naruto was now even more interested to this story.

"I was about 6 to 7 years of age at the time, I can't seem to recall my exact age. But that isn't important. This man came into the inn one day. He said he was in his mid forties but he look at least 70. I ask him who and what he was for his clothes were strange to me. He said his name was of no consequence. But that he was the last mage alive. He told me of the attack of the Yonbi upon his sanctuary. That it was that demon's personal mission to wipe out all magic owned by humans, so that only the 9 themselves held the power of it, and the Yonbi succeeded that temple was the last place anyway human went to learn of magic, and this man was its only survivor. He died the following morning."

The story had been accurate Naruto remembered hearing of the attack on the temple and grieved for the lose the world suffered from it, but still in his travels he had learned many things, and one of those is that magic could never die.

"Sakura, that doesn't mean the Yonbi killed magic. It will always be around, people just have to learn how to access it themselves without a practical teacher."

Sakura had a small smile on her face.

"I guess that is just one more thing you will have to promise to change my mind about."

"Of Sakura-chan I promise I will show you magic is still alive. Hey look at that!"

Sakura quickly turned to face what Naruto had been pointing at, and there in the sand a good half mile away was a tower.

"What tower is that?" Sakura asked.

"That is a tower dedicated to Ouranos."

"Ouranos?"

"The sky, it is rumored that this tower along with its sister tower Gaia, to the north, have stood almost as long as The Pillars."

"Sky, and Earth? Hmmm"

"These towers used to be magical junctions for all sort of wizard. But sinse what the Yonbi did like you were talking about, everyone is scared to visit them."

"Think we have time to visit it?"

Naruto started laughing.

"Just this morning you were complaining about how it is taking so long to get to the city, and now you want a detour. Well sorry, but I have to decline the detour for now."

"Why?"

"Well if this is where we are, I miss judged how far we are away. We still got 2 weeks. So we need to go faster."

"Are we on a deadline or something?" Sakura asked jokingly while pulling Naruto's arm toward the tower.

"I mean you wanted to show me magic is still alive, this could be how."

Naruto didn't move though and looked toward the west with a very serious look on his face.

"Naruto?"

"We have wasted a lot of time, and I get the feeling we don't have it to waste, so do you mind if I carry you?"

Sakura was getting concerned, what did Naruto sense.

"If it is necessary, of course."

One second latter Naruto had scooped Sakura up and was running west.

_

* * *

__The pain was back. Kami I can't stand it. Stupid knives, stupid hand, stupid…ow. What is this new feeling? A pain in my lungs? Oh yes that's it, now not only is a hand holding my heart, it feels like fire ants are eating my lungs. Ok let us see here, the swirl thing is becoming clearer. It is in fact a swirl, on a green banner. And the colors around it are people? Wait I'm not alone? Are they also in pain? Oh other people should never feel a pain like this. But they are definitely there, and in great fancy gowns and suits. Why am I here if I'm in so much pain? This isn't logical. These pains, feeling, and images, they aren't logical. Why am I sitting on this cloud chair? Wait a moment, my face is wet. Was I splashed with water, is that it? Did I drench myself in water to douse this fire in my chest? No if that was the case my clothes would be wet. Then what made my face wet. Oh I know this feeling. I am crying that is why my face is wet. But I'm not crying because of the heart hand and lung ants, then why what has me so much sadder then this pain? Oh someone is coming towards me, if they say anything about me crying I might lose it completely. The pain is growing again; I think I will pass out in just a few… _

* * *

The earth shook beneath Naruto's feet, the violence of the quake was enormous that Naruto lost balance and accidently dropped Sakura. This fall made her wake up of course, and she was not happy at the way it had occurred.

'Baka?! What the hell are you doing dropping me for?" Sakura said quite put off.

Naruto hesitated to help her up for a moment, it was a brief moment but Sakura caught it. He almost decided to keep going without her.

"Heh. Sorry Sakura-chan, I didn't mean to drop you, but there was an earth quake."

He extended his hand to help her up. She took it but was now worried.

"Naruto, what's the matter? Does it have to do with the earth quake?"

"My theory was most likely correct im afraid."

"What was your theory, why is it bad you were right?" Sakura was getting more concerned.

"No time, we have to hurry to make sure he is all right, for if he's dead it would all be for not." Naruto once again grabbed Sakura and started running as fast as he could go.

"Naruto talk to me, I know you are in a hurry but you can say a few things while you run right?"

"Alright, ask quick and simple please because to maintain this particular speed it takes a lot of concentration."

"Who might be dead?"

"Garra."

"Who's that? Is that the person we were going to see?"

"No."

"Then who were we going to see and why does it matter so much now if this Garra person is alive or not?"

"We had to talk with a woman named…"

The ground once again shook violently, however Naruto didn't trip up this time for he was prepared.

"What was that?" Sakura asked. "How are there 2 earthquakes so close to each other?"

"Your answer is right ahead of you." Naruto said. His eyes were focused and narrow looking straight ahead at a slight angle. Sakura knew to always follow his eyes when he looked like that. And by doing so she found that he had a good reason for his seriousness. In front of her stood a giant beast, a strange yellowish brown creature, which almost looked like a raccoon. But the tail was all wrong. The tail itself was giant and almost bigger then thing itself, it looked like a lot of asparagus ends put together, and these ends were the same color as the creature itself with strange blue markings all over it.

"Na..ar..ru..ut..to. What is that thing?" Sakura was freaking, the creature was horrid and looked psychotic.

"I'll give you three guesses and the first two don't count." Naruto said.

"Ok I don't think this calls for sarcasm here mister."

"It's the Ichibi no Shukaku. One of the 9 great demons."

Sakura was dumb struck, of course it was, its skin matched the sand, it had one tail, and of course what other thing in the world is that fucking big, if not a demon monster.

"Well shit Naruto, why are we running toward him?" Sakura said in fear.

"We have to make sure Garra is still safe."

"So that warrants we die?!"

"No, I'll leave you here and go on ahead."

"Like hell you will, I'm coming with you."

"No"

"Yes"

"No!"

"Yes!"

"NO!"

"YES!"

Naruto couldn't keep arguing he was wasting valuable time, when he should be searching for Garra.

"FINE! But stay so close to me that we should be Siamese-twins or something, alright?"

"Ok, let go then you are wasting time."

* * *

The site before them was atrocious. A once proud city was turned to rubble. It was such a waste since it was an actual city that had been destroyed, not just a village or a town; this had been a large city that had been thriving. 

Every single building had been destroyed. Some were completely leveled. No building was left untouched, and the Ichibi seemed to be enjoying every second. He must have been feed up with a large city in his territory.

When the two made it to the once gate of the city, what they saw was even worse then what the expected. Dead bodies were everywhere many of them warriors and archer, other just hapless citizens, all of them dead or dying, from debris and Shukaku himself.

"This is horrible, we have to help them. Otherwise they will all die." Sakura said in great horror.

"I…I…"

"Naruto, we HAVE to help them."

"…We…" Naruto was struggling greatly with himself he knew he had to help the few people he could, but Garra's survival was needed absolutely. His conscience wouldn't let him abandon these people but his intelligence told him they were already dead and he had to move in a hurry.

"Sakura-chan… I don't know…" Naruto had to decided now.

"Naruto!" Sakura yelled.

"Ok, let's see if we can help any of these people."

Naruto couldn't turn away from these people after all, if he could save 2 of them that would out way Garra. In the long run it might not be a good idea but he had to help.

So far Naruto and Sakura had found 4 people alive and had gathered them together.

"Naruto I found 2 more!"

Naruto raced over to were Sakura was calling from under a large slab of rock slanted between two short houses. Naruto arrived and did see the two Sakura was talking about; one of them seemed to be some sort of doctor performing minor stuff on the other person. The 2nd person however Naruto had not expected to see. In front of him was Kankuro the elder brother of Garra.

"Naruto, quick we are losing him!"

Naruto dashed over to kankuro's side to see if the man would see him.

"Kankuro, can you hear me?" Naruto said worried.

The doctor person chimed in. "He is seriously injured, and there is no way to save him."

Naruto felt a tear come to his eye, but felt like right now wasn't the time to cry, if Kankuro was indeed in death's unfortunate graces then Garra might be also.

"There is a small group of injured back down the road a little if you sir would go help them, please."

"Of course that is my job; I will gladly go help the injured." The doctor said and got up and walked off to help the 4.

Naruto returned his attention to Kankuro.

"Kankuro, please speak to me, come on buddy."

Sakura came and sat by Naruto.

"Naruto, who is he, how do you know him?"

Naruto finally remembered Sakura was there, suddenly feeling guilty for forgetting her for even a second.

"He…he is Garra's elder brother."

When the name Garra left his mouth Kankuro finally stirred.

"G..ar..ra?"

Naruto snapped back to Kankuro.

"Kankuro, hey, it's me Naruto."

"Naruto…hey…what brings… you here?"

"I need to know about Garra buddy, what happened where is he, where is Temari?"

"They…they…man it hurts."

Kankuro was straining to keep awake and not black out from the pain. It was written all over her face. But he knew he had to tell Naruto what happened.

"Naruto…listen, I don't have much time I know."

"Nonsense man, you'll be…alright." Naruto was starting to tear up more.

"Don't bullshit me man, I don't need to be lied to right now. Besides I won't be able to talk much longer so shut up and listen."

Naruto kept his mouth shut, he needed to hear this, and he was willing to allow Kankuro's last request for him to be quiet.

"Alright then, now listen. We were waiting for you to show up. Temari was all prepared and Garra was excited to see you again. You were a few days late and we started to get worried, because you were usually never late. Then about 5 days ago, the center of the city broke open. And that…that…fucking thing, the demon, rose from crack and started his destruction. He was at it for 2 days just breaking stuff and attacking anyone he saw move. When we had nowhere to hide left, we made a break for it. We had been sure the Ichibi hadn't seen us until we saw his demon spawn minions in front of us and they knew exactly who to attack. The attack came quick, and hard. Garra was hit…"

Kankuro was catching his breath.

"Give me a sec." Kankuro said as he coughed up blood.

"Of course, take your time." Sakura said, thinking that this talking was killing him faster.

"Alright, now Garra was hit badly. Temari started freaking out, but I took control and made her leave without me while I attacked the spawn. I was able to take it out, but not at the cost of drawing Shukaku's attention, he came and started fighting me. He was just playing with me I know, but I held out until Sasori showed up, our town's best warrior. He stepped in for me when I was to hurt to continue. And I wish he hadn't he was needed more than me and got himself killed, it was too gruesome to describe let's just say Ichibi is sick and twisted. And now with me dead anyway Sasori's loss is even worse. Now Temari took Garra and ran, Garra quickly lost consciousness and I don't know where they went."

"Sasori died also…shit…" Naruto said, and then started to quietly sob.

"Now tell me Naruto…why were you delayed?" Kankuro said in a whisper that only Naruto and himself could hear, even when Sakura tried to listen.

Naruto looked quickly at Sakura then back to him. She was curious what the look was for.

"Um…"

Kankuro might have been dying but waste stupid for it, he saw the glance and knew what that meant and started laughing.

"Nice catch Naruto, she is gorgeous." Kankuro said loud enough for Sakura to hear and she started blushing.

But Naruto was starting to feel guilty for another decimated village; once again it was his fault that all these people died. If only he had been faster.

"Well Naruto, I'm going to nap now, if you see Temari and Garra, tell them I'll miss them…" Kankuro's voice slowly got softer till he was gone forever.

Naruto slowly stood with tears flowing down his face.

"Naruto, I'm sorry your friend died." Sakura said with great concern for her traveling companion.

"We need to go." Naruto said, quickly stopping his crying.

"Shouldn't we try to help more people?"

"NO! If Garra has indeed fled we must find him."

Sakura didn't want to argue, but all the suffering people, it was hard.

"Come on now." Naruto said strong and direct.

Sakura tried to stand up, but was cut off when a giant hand thing grabbed her. Naruto turned to see what got her. It was an Ichibi no Shukaku demon spawn. A clone like being that looked exactly the same as the original just very small and pretty much without a brain. So they were small berserk dumb beings with incredible power, and one had its hands on Sakura.

"LET HER GO!" Naruto quickly drew his sword.

He charged and sliced straight through the arm of the spawn. It dropped Sakura but let out a strange yell, something between a scream and a laugh. Never the less it was ear splitting, and just to hear it was awful.

"Damn you, shut up!" Naruto yelled.

The beast wouldn't shut up, so Naruto just cut right down its center. It split in two, and the stuff that came out of the dead thing wasn't blood, it was something else, a mixture of smoke, blood and sand. And it was leaking everywhere.

"Ew what I that stuff?" Sakura squealed.

"Don't know, but I do think I figured out what the yelling was for."

"What?"

"To attract his brothers."

Out of the shadows of all the building wreckage came the spawn. They were all just as ugly as their father and all exactly as crazy and blood thirsty. There were about 23 of them by Naruto's count. Some started to walk forward while some stayed back to watch, like it was a play or something. The closest one to Naruto swung its tail to the left of Naruto's head. He quickly cut off the tail, and it flew and hit a wall, were as the beast itself charged Naruto. Naruto effectively decapitated the monster.

_One down._

The second one charged at him but Sakura was in the way. So he leapt over her and cut it in half. Three more of the monsters charged at him, one from his front, one from side, and one from his rear where Sakura was.

"Sakura get down!"

Sakura ducked. And when the 3 monsters were close enough, Naruto spun with his sword out stretched taking down all 3.

_Five down._

More and more started attacking, and one after another they fell, leaving more of the blood, mist, sand junk behind. Naruto had now killed off 15 of the basterds, and he getting fairly tired. He didn't know why, but these beasts seemed to get harder the more he killed. Another came at him low trying to sweep under his feet. He would have jumped but Sakura was behind him, and if he jumped she would be hit. So Naruto swung his sword like a golf club and lobbed the creature's arms off. He then stabbed its heart.

Another came from his left at him, but was another one of those that appeared to be angled strange. It didn't matter though because he killed that one also. Naruto turned to face the place where the majority of the remaining 8 were located.

"What? You guys tired of trying to kill me already?" Naruto shouted, while at the same time boasting that they couldn't kill him. Then something clicked in his mind. The way they had all be attacking, not a single one of them had tried to kill him. Every single attack was aimed at Sakura but why? It didnt matter though, he wouldn't let her die.

He turned to face her the moment he realized this, and lucky for him he did. For 2 giant claws were descending upon Sakura. Naruto threw his sword up in both hands to block the attack. He caught it but at the cost of his mobility. Having both hands on his sword holding back the claws of the beast. If he moved to kill it, it would kill Sakura.

He needed to think of something for a second one was closing in on his backside and he couldn't block that attack, if he wanted to keep Sakura safe.

"Sakura-chan, run NOW!" Naruto yelled at Sakura.

Sakura didn't move though, there practically sandwiched between Naruto and this beast, she just kept sitting. And her face looked distorted like it was trying to process a lot of information it couldn't handle.

The second beast was running at him and getting closer.

"SAKURA-CHAN IF YOU DON'T DO SOMETHING WE ARE DEAD!"

Sakura responded to this but not in the way imagined.

Sakura quickly reached for Naruto's belt and drew his second sword. And with a mighty upward slash cut the beast that Naruto was staving off in half, then continued to rotate and cut the second beast in half at exactly the right time.

Naruto stood stunned at what happened.

"Where did that come from?" He asked amazed.

"I have no idea." Sakura said just as impressed.

"Oh well who cares, if you can keep that up we can definitely kill these last 6 easy." Naruto sounded so confident now it was reassuring for Sakura to hear his voice like that again.

The 2 stood ready for the attack from the final 6, but it didn't come. Instead just one stepped forward, and the other 5 backed away far into the shadows. This didn't make sense one of these things was no match for the both of them. Or so they thought until its left hand, quicker then lighting, had shot out and pinned Naruto to a broken wall, forcing him to drop his sword. Then it spoke in a voice full of psychotic evil.

"Well done children, in killing my minions, now I think it's time we finish this."

Naruto knew instantly who was talking to them and what happened. The Ichibi sent his thoughts to this underling, so now with dealing with the real Shukaku they were in a flee or die situation.

"Sakura-chan! Run, it's the Real Ichibi, get out of here!"

"I can't leave you!"

"If you care for me at all, you will run and not look back."

"I do care for you, and as such I can't just leave you."

Ichibi broke the conversation up by throwing his right arm and pinning Sakura to a wall close to Naruto, forcing her to drop her sword also.

"Sorry, to break up the tender moment, oh wait no I'm not. Now onto business, I think I will kill this pretty pink haired girl in front of her boyfriend."

"NO YOU WON'T!" Naruto screamed.

"And what will you do to stop me?"

Naruto looked so defeated; he knew he couldn't kill the demon.

"As I thought."

Ichibi brought his tail back and swung it for Sakura's head. Yet the tail never made it. For some gust of wind had come by and cut the tail off, and both arms. Ichibi screamed in pain, and Naruto took the opportunity to grab Sakura and run as fast as his body could take him out of there.

When Ichibi realize Naruto and Sakura were gone, he screamed louder. He transferred his brain back to his true body and screamed again.

"NARUTO!" It roared then proceeded to turned the whole town to dust and sand. There was no longer any trace that a city might have been there.

* * *

Naruto finally stopped running after 7 hours. He was exhausted mentally and physically. And Sakura was dealing with her own stuff 

_How did it know Naruto's name? We never mentioned it. I also hope that the few people we saved were able to get out alright._

The two stayed at that spot on the sand for about 10 minutes until Sakura finally broke the silence.

"Sorry I lost your sword."

Naruto looked at her like she was stupid.

"What do you mean?"

"Your sword, I lost it."

Naruto laughed.

"Oh don't worry, that was just a plain steel sword, my sword is so much cooler."

"Ok then…So where to next, do we still have to find Garra?"

"Of course, but I know where he's headed. If Temari really wants Garra to survive she would only take him one place, and that is the third kingdom. So let's head out, otherwise we won't get there for more than a month."

Sakura looked at him with such pity; he was trying so hard to appear strong in front of her. His smile was fake, and it need not even be there, a frown right now was fine.

"We don't have to, we can take a break, and recoup."

She was trying to get him to stop and grieve, clearly he just lost a lot of friends.

"Nonsense, I'm good to go."

"Right…"

So the two set out for the 3rd kingdom to find Garra.

_It will take even more effort now Naruto to prove to me that my world outlook is too grim and not a hundred percent accurate after what just happened._

_

* * *

_

Hope you guys are enjoying this so far, im enjoying writing it, and have some big stuff planned. If some are thinking the fights are lame, well they will get cooler as the story progresses.

so review if you feel like it, give sugjestions if you have any good ideas

ill update as soon as i can


	8. P1:C7: Coadunation

I dont own Naruto

"Speaking"

_Thoughts_

* * *

Chapter 7

_The journey has been getting harder that much I know. Naruto still acts like his charmingly goofy self, yet I can see the sadness behind his eyes and it is steadily growing. He needs to grieve. I did and though it still hurts it helped. If he doesn't mourn then it will slowly eat away at him. _

_The talking has also died down. When we were traveling to Castle __Superbia__ he was so lively, always voicing his opinions, that had gotten softer on the way to the first kingdom yet his liveliness still outclassed mine. Now he seems distant. He voice lacks the enthusiasm and heart it should. I don't like this version of Naruto, and I have got to find a way to bring the enjoyable one back. Hopefully if nothing else finding this __Garra__ will do that._

_I am curious as to where we are headed though. He said the third kingdom, but as far as I can recall that kingdom is mostly just a series of islands. I mean I have always wanted to see a large body of water, that much hasn't changed, but I'm afraid of what we will find there. What if the town we are headed to there has also been wiped from the __map.__ I don't think Naruto will be able to handle it. I don't know why he keeps thinking he is responsible, my village was more my fault then his, and the other city was definitely __Ichibi's__ fault. _

_If he just opened up a bit more then I know I could help him some. What is keeping him from doing so? Could it be…? __No Sakura don't start thinking like that again, he wouldn't have brought you if he didn't want you here.__ Must just be he isn't ready._

_I wish we had been able to __visit__ the __Ouranos__ Tower. It looked so fascinating, but if we had we wouldn't have made it to the city to find information on __Garra__. Man this __Garra__ person must be of great importance and standing if everything hinders on him. I hope I meet him, I bet he is a large statues person who just gives off a commanding feeling and everyone feels safe around him, just like Naruto._

These two had been moving around for about 2 and half weeks from the Ichibi towards the third kingdom. And it appeared that there hard trek had finally yielded some results, there to their front was a tree line. Trees signaled the exit of the first kingdom and entrance of another. The trees were strange though, they did not look like the few that appeared in the ninth kingdom. These trees looked old, like they had been there for millennia and had giant roots and vines covering many parts making the forest dark with very little light.

"Naruto, are we headed into those trees?"

"Yes Sakura-chan that is the only root I know to get where we are headed."

"Why do they look so old and ancient? They give me a strange chill."

Naruto didn't respond to her question, instead he looked at her, smiled, then dropped back to run beside her. He took her hand in his and continued to lead her towards the trees.

"Nothing bad will happen to you while you are in there, I swear." Naruto told Sakura.

Something struck Sakura with what Naruto just did. It wasn't the holding her hand, she didn't mind that at all. It was something about what he said. The statement itself wasn't odd for him to tell her something like that, but it was the way he said it, something about it seemed off, she just couldn't place it.

The tree line came and went. The darkness one would think the forest wood generate from the outside was a gross understatement. It was pitch black. The canopy from above and the roots and vines block all possible light. To make the feeling of sight loss worse the ever present feeling of being watched was on Sakura. With the feeling of being watched you would assume that sound would come from somewhere. But there was none. No sound from an animal, or wind or water, Naruto and Sakura didn't even seem to generate sound while they ran through the forest. Yet Naruto, never letting go of her hand, led her through the woods without hitting anything. It seemed like somehow he could see in utter blackness, without even the simplest light for your eyes to adjust to.

Sakura thought several times to ask Naruto questions, and converse with him on some unimportant topic. She told herself it would be to help him with his grieving and the recovery process. But in truth it was because she was terrified and she needed some reassuring that it would be alright. The darkness made her mind wander and it kept coming to the 9 and her mother. Both were horrible thoughts. And she needed to set her thoughts elsewhere but she couldn't find the courage to speak. The thought that the slightest noise would trigger someone to attack kept her lips sealed.

After traversing the wood for 1 solid hour in lightlessness and noiselessness, the old phrase darkest before dawn came to Sakura because right when she thought she would snap, she saw a glimmer of light. She and Naruto were headed to a small light patch in the middle of the forest.

When they came into the center of it everything went away. You could see all, the forest trees the roots the moss, you could hear it all, the birds, the animal rustling and the wind, and the feeling of being watched just went away. Sakura felt like she could talk.

"Naruto, I have to say that was scary as shit. Running through the blackness like that, I thought we were lost. Even though you did seem like you knew where we were headed."

Sakura gave Naruto's hand a little squeeze then let go to meander around the small clearing.

"Glad you had confidence in me Sakura-chan."

She smiled at him. "Course, so where we headed, how much further?"

"Actually we are right where we are supposed to be."

Sakura looked oddly at Naruto.

"What? But this is the middle of nowhere."

Naruto smiled an odd smile and looked at his feet.

"Sorry about this Sakura-chan."

Before a single response could leave her mouth a hand was at the back of her neck and she started to fall unconscious. The last thing she saw and heard was a strange person walk up to Naruto and say, "Naruto-sama…" And she was out.

* * *

"So it seems you failed your mission." Said the calm and refined voice to another.

"It appears so but have no fear I can still make up for it, they will have to come back eventually." Said the crazy brute.

A third voice chimed in this time.

"Can you really make up for it? As I recall you weren't always the smartest one of us." This new voice sounded very grounded and old. Nothing flashy in the way he talked just very pronounced and direct, with a hint of wispy breath like he was trying to breathe and talk at the same time.

"Don't mess with me, ill tear you to ribbons."

"Ribbons? Very well, im just saying maybe it's time you stepped down and let someone a little more developed deal with the situation."

"I helped demoralize him more, that is a partial success."

"A failure is a failure; you can't change it just because you kind of did something good."

The first voice was getting angry with the bickering.

"Tie your tongues you two. I have had enough of listening to children complain about their toys. We all know whose turn it is to deal with the problem, seeing as they are where they are now."

The third voice backed down. "As you wish, I will take my leave then and talk to you later." The third voice disappeared.

The first voice addressed the second.

"I hope there aren't any objections? Because I could always use a new intestinal belt."

The second got the hint, "Understood" He two disappeared.

"God I hate having childish subordinates."

* * *

The girl found herself in the middle of a clearing. It was baron and covered in dirt. The clearing was surrounded by trees but they were all dead, yet the further they went the less dead they got, until some were finally still alive all the way to being in full bloom. Yet those trees were far off in the distance and seemed far too hard a walk to get there.

The girl with pink hair slowly stood up to in the direct center of the circle. There were three paths leading out of the circle and she was determined to get out of this dead circle of trees. She headed for the first exit, but was knocked back by a powerful uprising of fire. The fire wasn't burning any of the dead wood, nor was it even hot. Yet she still couldn't pass by the wall of fire. So she headed for the second path.

The second path was located at the opposite side of the clearing. She approached it. But her way was blocked again, this time however it was blocked by a waterfall. The waterfall however slowly turned from water to sand. It became an ever flowing wall of sand. The sand didn't pile, and it didn't spread out to fill up the clearing, also it wasn't so thick as you couldn't just push through it, but the current at which the sand fell was far to fast for her to get through, just touching it burned more than the fire do to the speed of its movement. So the third path was the only option.

The third route wasn't exactly a path as it was just a way to leave. It was a well, a strange and old well that seemed to be built at an angle. The way to use it to leave would be to just slide down the hole and out at the other end, which emptied out at a river a few miles away.

She walked to the well and looked down into the darkness of the well. The site inside the well was far from promising however, there was a man inside of it. Just lying there on the slant. Gravity didn't seem to take effect and he was stuck mid fall. And the strange man, dead or alive, she couldn't bring herself to go down the whole. So the pink haired girl was stuck standing in the middle of this clearing.

"He lies to you Sakura."

The girl was startled a voice she had never heard before was talking from nothing and it seemed directed at her.

"He will destroy you and everything you care about. He already dealt with your mother. What next?"

The voice was directed at her, and clearly to do with someone she knew. She didn't want to listen to this strange voice but being trapped had no way of escape.

"He watches you always with those wicked evil eyes of his. They stare to your soul and will devour you the moment you give a hint you've dropped your guard."

Leave me alone was all she thought, she didn't know who it was talking of but knew she didn't want to think of anyone that way.

"You must deal with him. Look up and remember his wicked eyes."

Her gaze went to the sky and there it was, the horrible red fox like eye that burned her soul.

"Remember that eye, for its owner must be dealt with. Also the next time you see this eye could very well be the last thing you see."

The voice vanished at that, and left the girl to cry on the ground with the evil eye staring at her from the sky.

* * *

Sakura slowly opened her eyes, the light that hit her eyes was bright, and it seemed far brighter than it should be even if she hadn't opened her eyes in a while. Her eyes cracked open to see where the light was shinning in from. It was a very large window, border with something she didn't quite care about at the moment for there was a shadow on the window, no not on it, in front of it. Her eyes finally adjusted more.

_It's a man. He looks almost holy with the light going around him like that. His strong posture, his beautiful clothing of a black silk cloak with silver and gold makings at the bottom, his wild wonderful hair and the presence he is giving off is just demanding respect. I wonder who this important man is. Wait is it __Garra__? Does that mean I'm where I should be? Then where is Naruto?! I need to ask him._

The man had been looking out the window of the room Sakura was in the whole time and hadn't noticed that she woke up until she was finally able to speak.

"..Garra…?" Sakura said in a very muffled whisper barely audible except to someone right beside her.

The man turned around when he heard the faint noise not sure what it was. And there she was looking at him from the bed, with her gorgeous emerald eyes looking right at him. He filled with complete joy, for she hadn't woken up for a week and he had gotten worried, but here she was looking at him.

"SAKURA-CHAN!"

_Holy shit its Naruto! But how is that him, he doesn't give off an aura of "respect me" nor does he have any clothes that fancy, and sense when does he stand so proper. But it is him. No one else I've meet is that loud when seeing me. And I can't argue the face and hair. His golden locks that I just love to run my hands through and mess up, his whisker marks that make him look so adorably cute, his amazing ocean eyes that I think could hypnotize me forever if they wanted oh I love his eyes. Wait what am I thinking?_

"Sakura-chan you're awake!"

Naruto was at her bedside in a flash, holding her hand and stroking it, looking at her with something in her eyes that Sakura couldn't place, because she had never seen anyone besides Naruto look at her like that so she had no way to know what his eyes were saying.

A tear started to come to Naruto's eye.

"Sakura-chan I thought I lost you. I didn't mean for that to happen, and if you had died I don't know what I would have done." He was trying hard to hold back like most guys do.

"Naruto you didn't lose me, and what are you apologizing for, what happened?"

Naruto sniffled a little bit.

"We were in the forest then you were hit at the back of the neck to make you fall unconscious. Well it was meant to only last about a day, and had been know to last for 3 at most, but you have been in a coma like state for a week. At some points you were sweating profusely and writhing in your bed. I was worried sick, I never left your side…Ok I don't lie to you I left your side a few times each day, usually no more then 10 minutes, and once 5 hours. And I will apologize and make up for that absence as much as possible, but I was here most the time. Kami I was so worried. And…"

Sakura had to cut Naruto off there or it was possible he might have rambled on and on, which would have been mildly funny but she wasn't in the mood.

"It's ok Naruto, I appreciate you being here as long as you were, there's no way I could expect you to be here the whole time, with things like having to void your bladder and all."

"No but it was the least I could do seeing as how you were only in that terrible state because of me."

"Naruto this was not your fault, someone got me from behind and you took care of him."

Naruto looked even more upset.

"Naruto?"

"No I put you there, I didn't deal with the person who did it because I knew it was coming and had no reason to stop him. It was what the plan has always been, for that to happen. But I didn't mean for you to get so hurt."

Sakura was a tad frightened now, since Naruto apparently was in cahoots with someone who attacked her and he did nothing to stop it.

"What plan?" He didn't respond, "Naruto what plan?"

Naruto was not looking at her, but still holding her hand, and still on the verge of tears for what he did to Sakura.

"It is the security plan; outsiders aren't allowed to know how to reach the town without prior consent from the council. So anyone who strays there they knock out and bring to the village, but I could have stopped them from hurting you, it was unneeded. The council would have no problem with you knowing. The first time I decide to follow protocol and you go into a comma, I'm so sorry Sakura-chan."

Sakura sighed in relief. Naruto was following safety measures for where they went and it wasn't like her was trying to kill her.

Naruto let go of her hand.

"I'll understand if you don't want to see me right now."

Naruto got up from the bedside to leave, but felt something holding his arm. Looking back it was Sakura smiling sweetly.

"You goof ball. I am not upset with you if you were just following what had to be down, there is no way you could know what the council, I guess, would want. So don't leave me now right when I wake up, now is when I need the comfort, not for you to feel sorry for yourself and me comfort you."

Naruto returned the smile and sat on the bed with Sakura and wrapped his arms around her. Holding her close and not feeling like ever letting go.

Sakura hugged back, nesting her head in his chest feeling his still radiating warmth and the wonderfully silk cloak.

After a few minutes of this, Sakura started to remember her dream, and started crying.

Naruto didn't even bother asking what was wrong, he just started stroking her hair, and telling her everything would be alright, and that while he was there nothing would ever harm her, then pulled her in closer to him, and rubbing her back trying to calm her down.

Sakura calmed down after a few minutes then looked into Naruto's eyes, "Thank you so much Naruto-kun. I know you will always be here for me and it mean so much. Thank you so much."

Naruto was a little taken aback by the kun suffix added to his name, did that mean she liked him? Should he ask her about it? Maybe it's just nothing.

He was knocked out of his thoughts by Sakura.

"So Naruto, were exactly are we?" She asked while pulling away from him.

_Ok so I guess it was just nothing, she probably just said it as more of a thank you for the comfort. Oh right she asked a question._

"Sorry, what Sakura-chan?"

Sakura giggled at how he missed the question because he was racking his brain with thoughts, possibly on her adding of kun to his name.

"I asked where we were."

"We are in your room Sakura-chan"

"My room? You mean the room I'm staying in?"

"No, this is your room. No one else's. Everything in here belongs to you Sakura-chan."

"How?"

"It is a gift."

"From who?"

"From me, of course."

"Ok…how did you get me a room, in this village?"

"Well I guess it's my house, so I have permission to give a room to anyone I see fit."

"Wait you said you didn't have a house."

Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Um, I believe I said I didn't have a home."

"Isn't that the same thing?"

Naruto's face got sad for a moment.

"No, a home is where your family is, where people love you, where you feel warm and happy. My home was lost to me. No this isn't my home, it's just my house, a place where I can put some of my stuff and where I have a bed to sleep now and then."

"Naruto…" Sakura saw the pain in his eyes, and knew not to press the matter more than what she had.

"I agree…"

The tension had been made and Sakura had to think of something to break it with.

"So this is my room is it?"

Naruto instantly came out of his daze.

"Yes, do anything you want with it Sakura-chan, for I have made it no matter what happens this is your room."

"That's fun…"

"Yeah…"

"So Naruto I have been curious for a little bit now. I asked where we were and you gave me a joke answer. Now tell me what city we have come to."

Naruto stood from the bed and took Sakura in his arms, for he was worried she still lacked the strength to stand, and walked her to the window.

The sight outside was incredible. The city was huge and everything seemed to be made of wood and gold. The village stood from a water fall and a cliff all the way into the vanishing point of sight in the trees. The city was huge and exotic. It was all hand crafted and beautiful, flowers and people everywhere. Walkways, bridges, buildings, all built in the trees and cliffs. There were even strange platforms that changed the level you were on.

"It's amazing Naruto!"

"Sakura-chan welcome to Coadunation, the third kingdom city of the elves."

* * *

Another chap done, it might be weaker then the others but i was a bit disracted by moving to a new apartment and starting college and junk, so yeah

Thanks for the reviews last chap, was the highest number yet, review for this one if you want, say whatever, but next chap should be up in a few days and it should be good


	9. P1:C8: Royal Formalities

I dont own Naruto

_thoughts_

"Speaking"

**Strange voice**

* * *

Chapter 8 

The initial shock of hearing that they were in was a city belonging to elves, never seemed to pass from Sakura. Elves were magical beings that were supposed to be wiped out by the demons. All magical races were supposed to be dead, but if the elves were alive who knows what else might be out there. Not only that, but Naruto lived among them, which would explain his need to know how to speak in an elfish tongue.

"This…This…This…" Sakura couldn't formulate the words properly. But Naruto knew what she was going for.

"Yes, this is a town run by elves. And you won't find a bigger city anywhere on earth right now."

"Then how does it still stand? Wouldn't the Sanbi have destroyed it by now?"

"Well the location of this town is completely secret, only the elves living here knew how it get here initially. Then they started taking in refugees."

"How do you live here then, you aren't a refugee are you?"

"Well you see the thing is…"

Naruto was interrupted however by a knock at the door.

"Naruto-sama?" The person behind the door said.

"Yes?"

"You are being summoned please don't keep her highness waiting."

"Thank you Hige."

"Of course sir."

The man behind the door left. And once again it was just Naruto and Sakura.

"Well then I guess we better head out Sakura-chan. So I will give you time to get changed, meet me in the living room."

Naruto left Sakura's room, leaving her alone to change and ponder what just happened.

* * *

Sakura descended the stairs in a beautiful dress. It was light green with black trim at the bottom edge and on the sleeves; it also had a black pattern spiraling around the dress all the way to her neck line. To accent it all she was wearing a silver chain necklace with a pink lily at the end of it. And Naruto was speechless at the sight of it. 

The words finally came out. "Holy Hell! You look amazing."

Sakura blushed slightly, no one would have noticed it but she still felt her cheeks redden a little.

"Well thank you very much. I found it in the closet...Did you buy me a whole new wardrobe?"

Naruto smiled and nodded.

"Figured you would want some new clothes. But I had Temari pick the clothes out for you. I have no eye for fashion."

"Well I will have to thank Temari-san then. So did she also get me the necklace?"

"Nope that one was me."

"Thank you Naruto, it is beautiful."

"Given its location I think it looks dull and no one will notice it."

"What?!" Sakura was taken aback by the comment, then looked down, and saw the necklace was sitting a little above were her cleavage started.

"Naruto, I aught to kill you for that comment!"

"Why? Is saying that your radiant face takes attention away from the necklace and no one will notice it because why look at that when they can look at your face, bad?"

Naruto looked genuinely confused, like he didn't think that kind of a complement was worthy of being killed, but if it was then he guessed he deserved it.

Sakura blushed again, this time very noticeable.

"You were talking about my face?"

"Yeah…what else would I be talking about?"

Sakura giggled.

_Of course, Naruto is far __to__ innocent to think about my boobs like that. To bad wish he would. Wait what?_

Sakura finally came back to herself.

"Nothing never mind. I'm not overdressed am I? I just picked this because it seemed appropriate for meeting a princess."

"Nope you are great. Ready to go?" Naruto asked extending his hand to her.

Sakura took it. "Let's go."

The walk to the palace was wonderful for both of them. Naruto had a beautiful woman holding onto his arm, and Sakura was getting to see Coadunation for herself up close.

"All these buildings are superb. Can we visit that one? Or that one? How bought that one? Wow look at all the people, ive never been to a city this crowded or huge. Oh wait was that an elf? Did he have pointed ears, I want to see it all."

Sakura seemed like a kid in a candy store, wanting everything, but unable to get it. But the fact she couldn't get it didn't wipe the smile from her face,

"Not right now Sakura-chan, remember we have a princess to see?"

"Oh right…Well then later."

"Later."

"Ok." Sakura accepted the answer, then snuggled closer to Naruto while they were walking clinging to his arm and smiling as they walked.

_She needed to come here, I'm glad I could give this to her, but I wonder if I should leave her here when I continue._

Naruto thought to himself.

_It's all so amazing I can't believe Naruto has a house here._

Sakura was thinking to herself at the same time Naruto had his thought.

The two were walking down the main road, deep in their own thoughts. And neither were brought out till they came to a huge staircase. And sitting on the third step of the stairs was a fox.

"Hey there Kurama, I guess you did what I asked you then?" Naruto asked.

The fox seemed to smile and nod, but it was hard to tell seeing as how it was a fox.

Sakura was surprised with herself.

_I can't believe I forgot all about poor Kurama, well good to see he is safe in this city as well._

"Ok well Kurama, you go play with your friends, Sakura-chan and I have to go see her highness. K?"

The fox seemed to understand for it ran off down the road.

"Man that guy can be a hand full." Naruto said jokingly.

"Same goes for his master." Sakura said making herself laugh.

Naruto, being as thick as ever didn't seem to notice.

"Well let us get inside then."

Naruto took Sakura's hand again and led her up the giant staircase that seemed to just keep rising into the air.

"Don't tell me we are going to climb that whole staircase."

"Of course not, that right there is an illusion."

"An illusion?"

"Yup, watch."

Naruto walked over to the side of the 15th step, and kicked a rock beside it.

"What is that gonna do?" Sakura asked rather perturbed with him just kicking a rock.

Naruto pointed her attention back toward the staircase. Where had once stood the never ending staircase that stretched towards the heavens, now stood a moderately long staircase, and at the top a castle. This castle was different from any other Sakura had seen before though. The whole thing looked like a strange pyramid, which as the sides went up the building got smaller then bigger than smaller again, till the structure came to a point. It was overrun with vines and vegetation. There was no discernable stone in the structure, only plants and trees growing out of the sides in all directions. It could be hard to make out the actual shape of the building if it wasn't moving. The building seemed to be moving somehow, like swaying in the breeze but none was blowing. The only way it could be doing this was if the castle in front of Sakura was actually a living thing.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked in awe. "Is this building alive?"

"Yes Sakura-chan, this castle structure is in a fact a living organism which bonded with a great tree many hundreds of years ago. Good observation."

Something clicked in Sakura's mind at the statement.

"If this merged hundreds of years ago, and then I supposed made into a castle sometime after that. Where is the castle for the pillar in the third kingdom, seeing as how the pillars and their monarchies were established thousands of years ago, not just hundreds?"

"Wow Sakura-chan, you are incredibly smart for figuring that out. Well the truth is, there is no castle for the pillar in the third kingdom. There never was."

"But weren't there supposed to be a thrown at the bottom of each pillar?"

"Yes there is a thrown at the base of each but that doesn't mean it warrants a castle. Two of the nine kingdoms don't have a castle with there pillars, the only castles with the pillars are the Seven Sin Castles."

"What are those?"

Naruto grabbed Sakura's hand quickly and led her toward the door of the structure.

"We don't want to keep the princess waiting."

* * *

The grand hall of the castle was gorgeous, covered in greens, blues, and reds. Every wall, every column, every torch holder, all of it seemed to be made of the tree organism. The tree was also in bloom, so flowers of all colors were about the room, and the falling petals made you feel so very important to be showered with flower petals as you entered. There were also several hundred soldiers standing at the walls, swords and spears at the ready, to attack any unknown enemy. The whole scene just made Sakura so happy, she had always wanted to be in a royal court before, and now she was maybe not a part of the court, but at least near the court. 

The throne room was just beyond the great hall through a large curtain, which was made up of strange vines that resembled a very soft fabric. The curtain vines spread open and Sakura and Naruto were exposed to grandeur of the throne room. The room was filled with gold and purple colors. The windows were stained glass, with pictures of epic battles and noble rulers. The windows were beautiful giving the room a special glow. At the back end of the room was a very elaborate chair, covered in beads and jewels. Its only possibility was it was the throne. A person was sitting in the chair, and had 2 dignified looking people standing beside her.

Sakura whispered into Naruto's ear, "Is that the princess?"

"Yup." He quietly responded.

Sakura couldn't help but stair at the beautiful woman in from of her. She had the pointed ears of the elf, and each ear had 5 piercings in it, the 10 earrings were wonderful gems each a different color. Her hair was a dark violet color, and the hair descended down to the floor, and almost spread around it. It was decorate with many of its own beads, jewels and ribbons. Her dress was a pearl white gown, with gold trimmings. The dress descended almost as far as her hair about the floor. It had many folds and lace, and the whiteness of the dress made this girl seem completely pure. Her bust was fairly big, at least a d, but no way to be sure of that. The girl's most striking feature was her eyes. They were like giant pearls. They had no pigment in them at all. The whole thing was just white. At first glance one would be scared of her eyes, but after a few seconds you couldn't help but become mesmerized. Her eyes seemed to be looking at you, but somehow beyond. In a nut shell, she was breathtaking.

Naruto was the first to speak.

"Hey there Hinata!" He yelled loudly, then dragging Sakura along up towards the throne.

The girl by the name of Hinata was surprised by the sudden noise. She quickly turned her head to look at Naruto and Sakura.

"Oh hi Naruto-kun."

One of the two people beside her cleared his throat.

"Right, Greetings Naruto-sama."

_Sama?__ Why is a princess calling Naruto __sama_

"Come on Hinata, I've told you to not call me that. Please, I don't like formality."

The man who had cleared his throat earlier stepped forward and started talking himself.

"Naruto-sama, you might not like it, but don't forget the setting, you two aren't in private, you are in the court. So formality is a given for people of your and Her Highness's status."

Naruto looked a tad irritated.

"Yes thank you Neji, I am well aware we are, and you have given that speech before."

Sakura took in the one known as Neji.

_He is fairly tall, with sleek black hair, and the pointed elf ears, guess that's is how one tells elves apart from people. Hmm, he looks like he could be related to Hinata-sama, but he doesn't have those white eyes, he has brown, well that's a tad boring. But his clothes aren't. All those blacks and golds, it's almost like a robe the polar opposite of Hinata-sama's dress. He is also a stickler for rules apparently, will have to remember that. _

"Naruto-sama, please don't pester Neji-niisan today. I finally got him to allow me to call you Naruto-sama, and not Uzumaki-sama, so we are heading in the right direction."

"All right, I guess I'll take it. So how are you doing Hinata?"

"I am doing fairly well. The town is running smoothly so that's a plus, no major problems. Mostly everything is dull and boring while you're gone, you know this." Hinata smiled after saying this.

"Well I do like to make things lively."

Sakura was suddenly feeling like she had been forgotten.

_Why am I here for this, they clearly don't notice I'm here, and they seem to have a special connection that I shouldn't even consider coming in between._

Sakura finally came out of her own thoughts and saw that Naruto had a very anxious look upon his face, like he wanted to do something but couldn't find the opening.

"So that brings us to why I summoned you here."

"Yeah ok we will get to that, but first I want to introduce this radiant lady beside myself."

Sakura noted a look of sadness in Hinata's eyes when Naruto called her radiant, but it quickly vanished.

"Oh sorry my apologies. Of course introduce her." The word her seemed almost dripping with contempt but of course Naruto didn't notice.

Naruto nodded to Sakura to introduce herself.

"Hello Hinata-sama, my name is Haruno Sakura. It is an honor to make your acquaintance."

Hinata smiled, the girl seemed very nice, and was indeed quite lovely but still she wanted Naruto for herself.

"No the pleasure is all mine Haruno-san."

"See Sakura-chan she likes you!" Naruto said happily.

Again a sadness came to Hinata's eyes that Sakura caught, but Naruto didn't even seem to notice one bit.

"Naruto-sama, on to why you were summoned."

"Right."

Sakura felt shoved aside again, she had finally been introduced then just brushed off. But she could tell that wasn't Naruto's intention at all, he had been wanting to introduce her the whole time, just couldn't get the moment.

"We have two things for you actually. The first is that the item you requested to be made by the royal blacksmith is done, and seeing as the nature of the item it had to be given to you through me."

"Good, I've been needing that."

Naruto approached the throne to pick up the item but was stopped by Hinata's hand.

"The other comes first Naruto-sama."

"K?"

"The court has been given a summons for you. And seeing as who it comes from you must follow its orders."

Naruto's face dropped.

"The Council?" He said weakly.

"Of course."

"Fine…um Sakura-chan, wait here please I don't know how long this will take, and the council will only have the one they summoned go. So I'll be back as soon as I can."

Naruto bowed to Hinata and hugged Sakura really quick then left. Sakura and Hinata both had not expected the hug.

_

* * *

__What the hell do these guys want?__ I already talked to them about Sakura-chan__ and what happened sense I met her. It can't have to do with __Garra,__ we were told he would be fully recovered in about 3 days. What the hell then could they want…Maybe Sasuke delivered on the information we needed. No don't get your hopes up with that Naruto, they wouldn't have sent the summons through Hinata if that was the case. Maybe…_

* * *

The two girls were in complete silence sinse Naruto left. Hinata didn't know what to say to her apparent rival for Naruto's affection. And Sakura didn't know what to say to a princess. Finally Hinata broke the tension, with even more. 

"So what are you to Naruto-kun?"

Neji cleared his throat again.

"Oh shush, he isn't here, it doesn't matter now."

"What do you mean what am I to him?"

"It means what it means. Are you his wife, his girlfriend, just a friend, his whore, some beggar he picked up, just a tag along he doesn't even want, a whore maybe?"

"You said whore twice."

"Good to see you can count."

"Ok listen here princess, I know your royalty and I respect that, but keep calling me a whore, and you will see why Naruto is afraid of my fist."The other person standing next to Hinata stepped forward.

"You do not insult her highness." Hinata waved him down however, "Easy, let her speak freely."

"Listen I see you like Naruto a lot, but don't get mad at me for stuff he does and says."

"So you are saying you don't feel anything for him?"

"Well um…I didn't say that exactly, it's just that…" Hinata started laughing hysterically.

"What? What is so funny?"

After finally calming down she responded.

"You are my dear; you clearly like him a lot, maybe even love. It is written all over you face."

"I never said any of that!"

"You don't have to, like I said it is all over your face. And it's funny because you are denying it. Oh that was just great."

The woman's pure grace and dignity seemed to just go away from Sakura's eyes after she saw that. She just seemed like a normal girl now, and all the tension Sakura had went away when she was talking to a regular person.

"Ok ok laugh at my expense Hinata."

Neji was about to say something about a lack of respect but Hinata spoke again before he could.

"I will indeed Sakura, and I will enjoy it."

"Tell me Hinata, why do you call Naruto sama? I mean shouldn't he call you that?"

"It is proper to call someone in a higher class or position of power by a respective title, and Naruto-kun is worthy of a sama."

"Why?"

Hinata looked a bit surprised.

"You honestly don't know?"

"Know what? What is special about Naruto that I don't know, that warrants a sama?"

"I would be sure his girlfriend would be aware of this."

"Look we aren't together yet…"

"But you want to be." Hinata said with a sly smile.

"Well so do you!"

Hinata sighed, "Yeah…But back to the topic, im surprised his "Traveling partner" doesn't know anything about him."

"I know a lot, just…nothing important I guess."

**See he lies to you, he won't tell you the truth of anything for he knows you will run from him. The boy is a monster and only spares your life so he can either forcibly mate with you, or just does it for amusement.**

_Was that voice in my head just now? Wait I remember that voice, it was in my dream last night. Naruto can't possibly the one it is warning me against._

"Sakura?" Hinata looked at Sakura worriedly she seemed a little distraught all of a sudden.

"Oh right I'm fine, but please tell me what I don't know."

"Do you know what is of higher authority right now then a princess?"

Sakura gasped and Hinata nodded.

"There you go."

"Naruto is a KING!?" Sakura said the last word louder then she had intended.

"What? No he is not of royalty. We checked and he doesn't seem to have any nobility in him what so ever." Sakura looked confused again.

"Then what?"

Before Hinata could answer Neji leaned down to her ear.

"My lady, I believe your court time is up and this particular topic would be best discussed behind closed doors."

"Very well then. Sakura please come with"

Hinata stood up and started walking towards a door a little bit away, her hair and dress followed behind her and it seemed almost like she was floating towards the door.

"Sakura please?"

"OH right." Sakura followed close behind Hinata all the way to a room which seemed to be a bed chamber. The bed in the room seemed to be hanging from vines, but was made up of the softest and most comfortable material imaginable. The pictures throughout the room were beautiful painted wonderfully and just made the room so much more extravagant; it even had an elaborate chandelier.

"Hinata this room is great."

"Yeah I like it. Now back to what we were talking about."

"Oh right, what is Naruto?"

"I don't know how much I can tell you honestly."

"What why not?"

"Because this is Naruto's information and if he hasn't told you about himself there can only be two reasons for that."

"And what are they?"

"One, you can't be trusted. I must say this information on him is important. And there are many out there that would do a many terrible things with information. The demons for one, and then many others I assure you."

"But…"

"Wait a moment please I'm not done."

"K…"

"But I don't think that is the case. For he is letting you travel with him. If he truly thought you couldn't be trusted then he wouldn't take you with him. He also seems to really like you…and as much as I will try to change that fact I assure you…so if he likes you that much you are clearly trustworthy, for Naruto's judge of character is impeccable. So it must be the second reason."

"And that is?"

"You are not ready to know."

"What?"

"You aren't ready to know. It might be you just wouldn't except it yet, or Naruto knows of another reason that makes you unready."

"Who says she isn't ready to know?" came a voice from the doorway. There in the doorway stood a blonde woman, smiling.

* * *

Naruto had come off the road and was standing in front of the pathway to the council chamber. The pathway was actually several stones in the middle of a river flowing away from the building. 

Naruto walked on the stones slowly, making sure not to step in the water, until he came to the end of the pathway. He was standing in front of the grand council building; it was an amazing building possibly putting the castle to shame. The building was a dome made of a strange rock. By the designs in the rock one would assume it was sandstone but it couldn't be for sandstone eroded easily when water flowed over it. And this building had an over abundance of flowing water, for a free flowing waterfall was coming from the roof. It was ever flowing having no starting body of water and ran down the side of the building down onto the path that lead to the building. The water looked strange as if it had something inside of it. It was hard to understand what it was until a large bolt of electricity rand through the water, clearly visible, meaning that the strangeness of the water came from it being electrically charged. Something just as strange as the waterfall was the fire border. The building had a ring of fire around it that was burning nothing, but still continued to glow red hot.

The whole scene was frightening and would surely scare away any passerby that happened to come upon the building. But Naruto knew what had to be done, and because of that was not afraid of the building, no structure could frighten Naruto away. He slowly approached the building till a strange disembodied voice spoke.

"Who are you, and what is your business here?"

"Uzumaki Naruto, I have been summoned by the council."

After a short silence, the waterfall started to part and an archway was revealed behind the parting water. The way was clear for someone to walk through but Naruto stood his ground.

After a five minute wait a strange electrical field appeared in the opening of the waterfall. A loud cracking sound echoed from the field, then it dispersed, and the opening was electricity free.

Naruto chuckled to himself a little, and then set upon his way into the building.

* * *

The woman standing in the doorway didn't surprise Sakura somehow, even though she had been under the impression her and Hinata would be alone. 

"Tell me Hinata, why isn't Sakura ready to know?"

"Well Temari that would be Naruto's call not mine."

_Temari?__ This is the girl Naruto said was with Garra…This is Garaa's sister if I remember right and someone Naruto had to talk to. Also the one who bought me my wardrobe._

Temari had a strange look to Sakura, her tan skin, green eyes, and blonde hair weren't strange. But the 4 ponytails were kind of odd, as was her atire. The woman was wearing some sort of padded pants and chainmail. She looked like she was decked out ready for battle at any moment. Very strange for a woman, one in a castle no less.

Temari walked over to Sakura, and Sakura didn't move at all, she only watched as Temari got closer and closer till their faces were barely 2 inches apart.

Temari then squealed.

"Oh Kami, YOU ARE ADORABLE!" Temari pulled Sakura into a powerful hug.

"Um thank you Temari-san?"

The hug was let go and Temari lightly hit Sakura's shoulder.

"Oh no formality please, just Temari, I would have thought Naruto would have taught you that."

"Right, so then Temari, how is Garra-san?"

"Oh he's fine, 3 more days and the little tyke will be back on his feet."

"Tyke? Garra-san is a kid?"

"Yup he is currently 8 years old."

"I didn't realize."

"I figured, with all the stuff you and Naruto do together I would assume something like that would have slipped his mind."

"Hey we haven't don't anything like that!"

Temari started laughing. "I never said anything like that, I meant your village and mine and Ichibi, but it appears you have some interesting thoughts for you and Naruto on your mind."

Sakura blushed madly and looked away. Hinata decided to comment at the break in the conversation.

"Temari, shouldn't you be at..."

"Don't worry about it. I'm not needed there."

"Well then what makes you think Sakura can hear about Naruto, if he hadn't told her that would mean she is currently not ready correct?"

Sakura looked up again, seeing as the conversation centered on her.

"Because of how he talks about her. I talked to him for few hours the other day when he went to visit Garra. He wouldn't shut up about his wonderful "Sakura-chan" I mean seriously he wouldn't be quiet about how fantastic, loving, beautiful, caring, smart, etc. I gotta say it was getting on my nerves, but he clearly cares deeply for her, and that would make her ready for his secret. And the thing is he probablly was going to tell her he just didn't get around to it."

Maybe_ that is what he was going to tell me before we were interupted in my room._

"Well fine…" Hinata was visible disappointed with the fact Naruto cared so much more for the pink hair over purple.

Sakura felt wonderful though, with Naruto holding her in such high regard, and now she would find out about him.

"Tell me then!" Sakura said more forcefully then intended.

Before Temari could respond however the earth shook violently, followed by a large explosion noise. The walls shook, pictures fell, and everything seemed to turn upside down.

Sakura clenched her ears tightly.

"Oh what was that?"

"The Council and Naruto…hmm this might be the way for you to see what Naruto was hiding without me telling you."

Temari grabbed Sakura's hand and Sakura grabbed Hinata's, as they all ran for the door. Temari looked very excited.

"Come on we don't want to miss the show. Should be good."

* * *

Woot another chapter! Thanks for the reviews last chapter 

So yeah hope you enjoyed this one, review if you did, if you didnt enjoy it well then i guess stop readin this story


	10. P1:C9: The Council

I dont own Naruto

Well here is another chapter, its like twice as long as all the others because i couldnt think of how to break it up. Also i have alot of crap to do in real life so i dont know when i would update again so i figured i would post an extra long one. Thank you for all the great reviews last chapter nice to see people are actually interesting in what is happening in the plot. This chapter answers some but might make some more.

"Talking"

_Thoughts_

**Strange voice**

* * *

Chapter 9

"Wake up boy."

"uh, 5 more minutes…" The small boy said as he rolled over in his cot, pulling the blanket closer to him.

The elderly man standing above the cot was not to terribly happy with the response this child provided. And would be damned if he would be delayed by this lazy ass in front of him.

"I SAID NOW!" The old man flipped the cot over

"Ow! Ero-sennin! Why did you do that?"

"Because I wanted you up Naruto."

"YAAWWNN!" Naruto tried to rub the tiredness out of his eyes. "You still didn't need to flip the cot."

"Whatever, now shut up and pay attention to your sensei."

Naruto had gotten himself readjusted sitting on the floor.

"Ok let's get this over with Ero-sennin, I have some dreams to catch back up on."

"Fine, well Naruto as you are aware I have been training you to be a warrior for the past 2 years."

Naruto yawned loud a second time, "Right I know."

"And in 3 years you will be 12 years old, correct?"

"Yes. Is this going somewhere?"

"Yes damn it! Now the day after your 12 birthday I will resign from being your sensei."

Naruto was shocked he didn't want this man to leave him. Granted he was a mega pervert, but that didn't matter he was the closest thing to family the kid had and he didn't want to lose that.

"What!? Why?!"

"The reason being that at the end of those 3 years I will resign from The Council as well."

* * *

Sakura was being pulled very hard by the arm, toward the direction of wherever the hell the blonde woman in front of her was dragging her. And Sakura in turn was pulling a princess's arm out of her socket making sure they didn't lose her.

"Temari! Where are we going?"

Sakura asked without trying to sound too obnoxious.

"You wanted to know what Naruto was correct? Well I'm taking you to see."

"Ok and how will you go about doing that?"

"I'm going to take you to see the fight between Naruto and The Council."

"There fighting?!"

"Oh course, what did you think that rumbling was?"

"I don't know, why are they fighting?"

Temari smiled that seemed almost sinister.

"Why not?"

* * *

A dagger made of ice launched at Naruto's head, and he fell backwards and landed on a patch of spinning air to avoid it. Fire came up from below his spinning air cloud and hit the wind. The rapid speed the wind was spinning caused the fire to grow 10 times stronger, forcing Naruto to jump from his patch into the open sky, and leaving him open for attack as he fell back towards the planet. As he fell a bubble of water formed around him sealing him in a water like prison. Lighting descended from the heavens upon Naruto in his bubble prison electrocuting him far worse than a normal lighting strike. The lightning dissipated the water leaving a now badly injured Naruto to plummet towards the ground, and he hit it, he hit it hard.

* * *

Temari, Sakura and Hinata arrived at The Council's dome building. Sakura didn't have the time to take it all in as Naruto had before her, well enough since all the strange occurrences taking place to guard the building weren't happing. Temari was able to just drag the 2 girls straight in without so much as a drop of water to block their path.

The hallway was dark without candlelight but it seemed to be illuminated with something, for Sakura felt as if she could have walked this strange hallway, without being dragged, even with no illumination.

The end of the hallway was strange beyond measure, for there was no, light at the end of the darkness, sort of experience here; it just went from pitch black to boom you suddenly found yourself on an illuminated cliff side without so much as a warning light.

Sakura started to try to get a feel for her surroundings, by viewing the area and taking it all in.

"Where are…"

Sakura didn't finish her question because the image she saw in front of her almost made her heart stop. A bleeding and bashed Naruto was falling from the sky towards the ground of a strange platform jutting from the cliff.

She couldn't find the strength to call out to him, all she was able to do was squeeze tight on the hands of the girls standing by her, but the hands weren't there.

The two girls had moved themselves to the cliff's edge and sat upon it to get a view of the action. Even Hinata who seemed to care so much for Naruto didn't seem to mind his devastated state.

Sakura slowly moved closer towards the edge of the cliff. Naruto hit the ground the moment she found her way to the edge.

"NARUTO!"

* * *

"What the hell Ero-sennin?! Why are you quitting the council? I have always respected you for being on it, and now you want to go and throw that all away?"

"Naruto you don't understand…"

"Damn right I don't understand!"

"Boy don't cuss like that, you are only 9 after all."

Naruto crossed his arms in front of his chest and mumbled something not audible.

The man started laughing; no matter how much of a pain the kid was he was always good for a pick me up.

"Man I am going to miss you after all this."

"You will miss me right now old man if you don't tell me why you are leaving the council!"

"I'm doing it for the very reason you just said."

Naruto looked fairly befuddled.

"Old man. You said it yourself. I am in my 50s now, and I am starting to feel old."

"Don't lie to me!"

Naruto over the few years they had traveled together had learned how to pick up when his sensei was lying to him.

"I know you Ero-sennin, I can tell when there is more to say."

"Alright you caught me." The man said chuckling.

"The reason is I can't stand it anymore. That room is becoming a pig sty."

"K?"

"All the members of the council are becoming corrupt."

"Why?"

"Fear. Out of fear for one's life many forget their natural moral code and forsake all others for self gain. It becomes even worse when you give a human a position of power while this is going on. That is what is happening to The Council members and I can't stand it anymore."

Naruto was about to respond when the man stopped him.

"Yes even myself. That is what the worst is, I have already felt it start and that makes me even more fearful."

Naruto was starting to understand.

"Then why stay these last 3 years? Quit now and we can just go about our business never having to associate with them again."

"No"

"Why?"

"Those 3 years are crucial."

"To what?"

"Our plan."

"And what is our plan exactly?"

"To bring the current council crashing down, and restore the old."

"But that's impossible, the 9 kings were on the original council, we can't bring that back."

"True but we can bring the 5 who weren't the kings to the council again, let them retake their reigns."

"Those 5?"

"Yes. And you will be the one my boy to find them all."

"Me? Why me?"

"That's an easy one, because you are…"

* * *

Naruto heard his voice being called but it didn't register in his mind who said it. He couldn't even seem to open his eyes to look in the person's direction.

_Oh that's interesting we have spectators._

Three people gathered around Naruto. Each person was wearing a distinctive colored cloak all with the hoods up. The one standing to the left side of the wounded Naruto had draped around himself a cloak of sky blue, with yellow jagged lines spiraling up it. The person on his right was in a dazzling cloak stitch together from a thread that could only have been made from rubies. The border of the person's dazzling beautiful cloak had small black flames stitched into it. The third and final person was standing near Naruto's head. They were wearing a deep blue cloak with stitching that gave the effect that the cloak was actually a pouring column of water coming from a strange cloud found at the hood.

The one on the right spoke, it was a strange voice almost like he wasn't there but off somewhere doing something more important with his time, yet it was still a voice that sent shivers down one's spine.

"I guess we win."

The other 2 nodded and turned to walk away.

Sakura couldn't stand watching this and tried calling to Naruto again.

"NARUTO! GET UP!"

Naruto again didn't really register the yell.

_Why should I get up, I am fairly comfortable right here._

The three stopped at the sound. Sakura was afraid she would be the one they would come after next, and that in the cross fire Temari and Hinata would be hurt, but there they were still sitting on the edge without a care in the world.

The one who spoke before did it again.

"Who is the pink haired one?"

Temari was the one to respond.

"This is Haruno Sakura, Naruto's girlfriend."

The red cloak spoke again.

"Interesting."

"Indeed." Came a voice from behind the 3 cloaked figured. It was powerful and determined.

Sakura looked and saw Naruto standing again.

_Thank Kami you are all right Naruto!_

"I didn't hear no bell." Naruto said wiping the blood from his mouth. He then waved his hand in the air and something appeared from nothing. It was another cloak. It was silver, white, and grey with different swirl patterns all about it. Naruto threw it over himself.

The one in the sky blue turned back towards Naruto.

"So I see your girlfriend being here had made you find some lost strength." His voice was lazy. That's the only word that could describe it, lazy and yet something else.

Naruto's only response to the comment was a sly smile, followed by a disappearing act. He appeared behind the light blue hooded person about to perform a powerful kick that the man clearly didn't see coming. But the one in the red cloak grabbed Naruto by the foot and threw him hard to the ground, then followed up by fire being shot from his fingers towards Naruto. Naruto rolled out of the way, and followed up the roll with slamming his hand onto the ground. This made the pressure of the air to great and the 2 of the 3 opponents hit the ground, the one in the dark blue still stood. Naruto back flipped up onto his feet and started rolling his hands over each other exceedingly fast. This created some type of strange disk around his hands spinning at a great rate. He then drew his hands out from the disk and it launched at the one in the red.

Before the disk hit a wall of water ascended into the air cutting off the disks trajectory and making it dissipate. The one in the dark blue lunged at Naruto out of the pillar of water, with a ball of the liquid around the person's hand, and punching Naruto square in the chest with it. And the force of the blow magnified by the water pressure sent Naruto soaring off the platform.

_Naruto! No…_

Then the unthinkable happened Naruto stopped mid arch and just floated in the air.

_He can fly?!_

**See what he hides from you, soon it will be too late to stop him. You must do something soon before that monster is free to do as he wishes.**

_What?_

Naruto flew back towards the arena at some high velocity, straight at the person who hit him with the water, drawing his sword preparing to cut off their head. And he swung.

The blade was caught by the one in the light blue however, stopping Naruto in his tracks open for attack. And the dark blue one grabbed his head and shoved it into the ground. The one in light blue spoke again.

"Give up Naruto, you know you can't beat the 3 of us together."

The Naruto that had his face in the dirt dissolved. Leaving the real Naruto standing on the edge of the platform behind them.

"You give up! You know you 3 can't beat me, especially when I have Sakura-chan watching me!" Naruto said with a triumphant smile.

Sakura was watching in amazement. The magic they were performing was so quick and effortless, and none of it even required an incantation. It was truly daunting seeing the power those 4 possessed.

"Temari, how can they do that? Where does there power come from?"

"They are The Council. There has to be some way they get people's respect, otherwise no one would follow orders."

"Ok, but how is Naruto at their level."

Temari smiled.

"Like I said THEY are The Council. They are the Elemental Seraphim"

* * *

"…The Elemental Seraphim of Wind."

Naruto looked a tad over confused with the statement.

"You do know who The Elemental Seraphim are correct?"

The young lad shook his head no very slowly.

"Should I?"

The old man's face sunk.

_Man this kid is a stupid as a sack of peanuts._

"Ok Naruto pay attention, it appears I have to teach you something else that I hadn't planned on."

Naruto crossed his legs Indian style and propped his chin up on his hands.

"Ok I'm ready."

"Glad to see you got in your listening position." The man said sarcastically.

"Ok do you have any idea what a seraphim is?"

Naruto started thinking really hard. His forehead wrinkled and his eyes closed. Eventually it seemed to dawn on him, like the light bulb was finally clicked on in the dark attic.

"They are a type of angel!" Naruto shouted at his sensei.

"Good. Glad to see you aren't a complete idiot."

"Shut up Ero-sennin! Get back to the story."

"All right, all right, I'll continue. A seraphim was a classification of angel. Now the Elemental Seraphim aren't angels, they are indeed humans, or elves, or any other living, thinking, creature that happens to be blessed with the gift. The Elemental Seraphim are a group of 5 wizards with unfathomable elemental abilities. Nowhere near the depth of power the demons have, but still very high for mortals. The people back in the old time saw these mortals as divine warriors so they were given the name of angels, seraphim. The 5 different elements are lightning, earth, water, fire, and wind. And each element has its own seraphim, thus Elemental Seraphim. These wizards have been around for as long as we have had written histories, back in the old time, so we can't tell if they predate the Pillars or not, but theory suggests no. The Elemental Seraphim were so powerful and revered that the kings offered each of them a seat on a new organization that the kings were establishing to help keep international peace, this developed into The Council, and seeing as this was the only way for the seraphim to truly help the world, they all happily agreed. When the kingdom's fell so did the true council, The Elemental Seraphim went into hiding, and they eventually died. Now, every time a seraphim dies a new one is born to take the elder ones place. And Naruto, you were born to be the Elemental Seraphim of Wind."

Naruto was silent. Taking it all in. The original concept of the council. The cowardice of the Seraphim of the old generation. The fact he was now a being of unparalleled magical power compared to other mortals.

_I'm…a…seraphim? This…is…awesome._

"THIS IS AWESOME!" Naruto started shouting jumping up and down on what was once his cot.

Naruto was jumping around all over the place, shouting and cheering.

"I'm awesome! I'm awesome!" He just kept repeating it. Finally his teacher got feed up.

"Naruto calm down!" Naruto stopped dead after landing from his most recent leap.

"Gosh calm down Jiraiya. I'm just trying to revel in my new found powers."

"They aren't newly found. You have always had them."

"Really? Then why haven't you taught me to use them yet?"

"Because I thought you would react like this. And honestly I didn't want to deal with it, so calm the fuck down or I will not train you."

"Don't cuss at me!"

"I'll cuss at whoever I damn well choose!"

"But I am only 9!"

"So?"

"It is just wrong. Shouldn't you be worried about little ears or something?"

"Shit no."

"Now you are just doing it to egg on the argument."

Jiraiya dawned a wicked smile.

"I see you are getting slightly smarter."

Naruto huffed at the comment and turned his back on Jiraiya.

"Ok Naruto, in seriousness again, I want you to make a promise to me. One I can hold you to, seeing as you are so dedicated to your promises. And if you don't make this promise I won't teach you to use the wind."

Naruto turned back around, trying to gauge the seriousness of his sensei. When seeing that he was indeed serious, he nodded.

"What is the promise?"

"You must promise that you will never use this wind magic on anyone or anything besides the demons and other seraphim."

Naruto's eyes almost jumped out of his head.

"The demons? You expect me to fight the demons?!"

"Yes, that is what The Council should be doing, fighting and coordinating strikes against the demons. And you are a double bladed sword for particular assignment, I suspect you remember why."

Naruto's face fell not out of shock but sadness.

"Of course I remember why… I promise that I will never use my new wind magic against anyone or anything other than the demons scum and my fellow Elemental Seraphim."

"Good boy let's get to it."

* * *

The pieces started to fall into place for Sakura. The wind that kept saving herself and Naruto. The strange tornado effect that happened in the fight with the Uchiha. And the reason Naruto was so upset with what happened to her, saying he could have swayed The Council, because he was part of it.

"That is almost unbelievable."

"Well believe it Sakura, and come sit with us. This fight should be exceptional good since Naruto seems fired up that you are watching him."

Sakura slowly sat down on the cliff's edge between Temari and Hinata.

**See he is hiding things, and there is more to him then even these people know. What happens when that monster that he is starts killing them all?**

Sakura shook her head, somehow she had to find a way to get rid of that voice. It was wrong about Naruto, he was sweet and caring, and apparently magical out the ass.

_Check one thing off Naruto's to do list. He proved Magic is still in existence._

Back down on the arena Naruto charged the seraphim in the light blue and yellow.

* * *

"Damn you Ero-sennin, leaving me on my own like this. Oh yeah sure, here Naruto here is a map of where the other seraphim might be located. Might, MIGHT! The old fart couldn't even give me their names, just a general area and a good luck. Next time I see the fucker I will wring his neck."

Naruto was walking through a country side covered in wheat plants. Up ahead of him was a small village, couldn't have more than a 40 person population, surely someone there had to know of the Elemental Seraphim of Lightning, that was if he was in the correct place.

Naruto cautiously walked into the foreign town. The village sign was very bland just a piece of old wood reading Wheat Town, how appropriate. That was clearly all this village was, was wheat farmers.

_Ok I have a lot to do, and not so long to do it in. I guess the first person I see I should ask all my questions to. Thinking about it I wonder if the people here speak the same language. I mean I have never thought about the possibility the different kingdoms have different languages. I wonder what people in the 7__th__ Kingdom speak? Oh there is someone guess I will ask him._

A man was standing outside of his domestic lodging with a burlap sack of Kami knows what. But he seemed approachable. He looked to be in his 60s with graying hair.

"Well aren't you an oddity." Was the first thing to come out of Naruto's mouth to the man.

"Beg pardon?" The elderly man wasn't expecting a boy here, less expecting a comment like that.

"I mean what are you in your 60s? Not many people live that long these days, so you are an oddity. Also what language do you speak?"

The man just stared blankly.

"I think I speak what you speak, for I am speaking it. And don't call me an oddity young lad, when you are far stranger to this village then an elderly chap such as myself. A traveler and at the age of 10 no less."

"I'm not 10! I am 12. I am just…kinda…short."

The man chuckled. "Of course of course. So lad what brings you here?"

"I am looking for someone."

"Oh? Well if they live here I am sure to know him. What's his name?"

"I don't know."

"Ok what does he look like?"

"No idea."

"Ok do you know anything about him?"

"Look I have such little intel that I don't know if it is even a man!"

The man looked shocked. No one went looking for someone they have no clue of.

"If you know nothing of the person, how do you know who you are looking for?"

"I didn't say I knew nothing."

"Then what?"

"The person is an expert at manipulating lightning. The Elemental Seraphim of Lightning."

The surprised expression the man had earlier would now be considered someone who looked in complete understanding.

"You are looking for a seraphim here? My grandfather used to tell of these wizards. Magic far beyond imagining, and then their proficiency with the elements was like Mother Nature herself gave birth to them."

Naruto smiled.

"Yup them, I am looking for the lightning one."

A sleeping man in a wheat pile in a corner near by rolled over and hit his head against a wall and cursed, which distracted the conversation a little.

"Pay him no mind child, he is just the town drunk, he passed out last night on that pile."

"Interesting, he might get along with my sensei. Back to the matter. Do you know of anyone?"

"Kid listen, not only does this town not have a seraphim, we have never even had a simple spell caster grace our presence."

"Well maybe they are in hiding. Is it all right if I ask around?"

"Feel free kid but you won't find anything."

"Thank you for your help."

The man bowed and went back into his house and Naruto set out to talk to some locals.

The progress was not what Naruto had hoped for. He had been asking around for about 5 hours till he realized he just kept asking the same people, for he had been walking in a circle. That is all the village was, was a circle round with buildings on each side. And to make matters worse every single person Naruto talked to gave almost the same spill as the first man. No one knew of anyone who could do magic let alone bend lightning to its will.

"Man this sucks!" Naruto shouted as he collapsed on a pile of wheat.

"Ow!" Someone else said.

Naruto jumped up startled drawing his sword just in case he had to save someone. But a man emerged from the wheat pile.

"Damn kid you didn't have to sit on me."

This was an odd person indeed. He had snow white hair when everyone else in the town was a burnet. He had two black eyes that looked like they might have hidden wisdom behind them yet as of right now they were simply lazy and useless. And the strangest thing was he seemed to be wearing a mask. It was hard to say on the fact however for all his clothes were torn and tattered so the mask covering thing might just be from the wrecked clothes, it was still an odd way for the fabric to fall.

"I apologize, I didn't know you were there."

"Yes you did you saw me roll over earlier, you knew damn well I was here."

"So you are the town drunk from earlier."

"Yup Hatake Kakashi, pleased to meet you."

The man closed his eyes and his cheeks went up, so he must be smiling. Naruto shook his extended hand and smiled himself.

"Uzumaki Naruto like wise."

This was a nice change of pace; every other town person hadn't even bothered to tell him their names.

"Well Naruto pleases to meet you, now if you will pardon me I think it's time I went to sleep again."

"Wait you are the only one I haven't talked to yet in this village, so you could very well be my last hope." Naruto pleaded with Kakashi.

"Oh and what is it you want of me?"

"You said I saw you earlier meaning you were coherent enough to notice me, did you hear what I talked about with the old man?"

"Yes but not much, you are looking for something."

"I am looking for the Elemental Seraphim of Lightning, a wizard that can manipulate lightning at will."

Something changed in Kakashi's eyes for just a moment, but Naruto didn't see it.

"Lightning you say?"

"Yes please I am desperate do you know anyone like that?"

"And what would you do with him when you found him kid?""I need him to help me make something."

"Oh is this person a smith of some kind?"

"No I need him to join an organization, and take his rightful seat at it."

"The Council?"

Naruto looked at the man in wonder. Maybe the slobbering drunk could help him.

"Yes I am reconstructing the proper council, and ousting the current corrupted one. And to do that I need the help of the other seraphim, and this person is the first one I need."

Kakashi was thoroughly intrigued by the young boy.

"Others?"

"Yes I myself am the one of wind, and I need there help with this."

"What will you do when you are all together and complete?"

"We will bring order back to the world. We must fight against the demons and bring about another age of prosperity. Maybe not another golden age, for gold can eventually lose its shine but an age that will still last and we can be glad to live in again."

This child spoke from his heart, with no reservation as to who he was talking to. His heart seemed pure and he clearly had a fire inside of him that Kakashi hadn't seen since his own teacher. Something about this boy just put the fire back in himself.

"All right Naruto. I accept."

Naruto cocked his head to the side and looked at Kakshi funny.

"Accept what Kakashi?"

"Your offer to rebuild the proper council. I accept and will be glad to help against the demons."

"K…"

Kakashi started laughing hysterically.

"Child I am the seraphim you seek."

Naruto's face lit up, "Really?"

"Yup, and as I said I accept."

_Hurray 1 down, now to find earth._

* * *

Naruto raised his hand and fired a pellet made of air from each finger tip at the one in the light blue. The seraphim raised a shield of electricity and it easily blocked the weak pellets. The man looked back in front of him to find Naruto gone.

"Up here idiot!"

The gaze was shot to the sky. Naruto was nose diving straight at him. The man dodge out of the way to avoid being pummeled into the ground by a falling idiot. The thing that hit the ground wasn't Naruto however but a image of himself made from air and the great speed at which he had been traveling. And before the man could look for the real Naruto he was hit from above with the force of a thousand pound falling rock.

The man was now in a crater and didn't seem to be moving. The cloak hood that had been covering his face was now off and the whole world could get a view of his face. Well the part not covered by a mask.

"Ok Kakashi is down. I guess I should move on to the next shouldn't I?"

The person in the red started to talk again.

"Naruto you fool, you are badly injured and you just took out the element weaker than your own, that isn't something to be proud of yourself for. Especially with the two of us left."

Temari just couldn't stop grinning. These fights were always the best. They weren't open to the public so it made you feel special if you got to see it, and the awe inspiring power they gave off made you think there could be a chance to win the war, well until you saw a demons power then you felt disheartened again. But still these battles were the only time The Council cut loose and used their elemental abilities and not just normal magic.

"GIVE UM HELL NARUTO!" Temari cheered.

The one in the red twitched at the cheer.

"Temari shouldn't you be cheering for all of us?"

"Screw you! He's fighting alone in this fight, so I cheer for Naruto!"

The man seemed to mumble something under his breath that was hard to make out but something about stupid woman.

Sakura decided to ask Temari a question nagging at her a little.

"Temari, how is it you know all these people, and we are allowed in here?"

"Well because I am on The Council also."

"What?! How? Are you a seraphim also?"

"Oh god no, I couldn't handle that kind of power."

"Then how?"

* * *

"I hope leaving Kakashi at that village back there will be alright. I know he said he wouldn't drink and would recommence his training but I just don't seem to believe that a hundred percent. Well it appears at least this time the person I'm looking for lives in a place I am familiar with. Perhaps Kankuro or Temari might know of who the earth seraphim is? Oh maybe it's Sasori! That would be incredible…but I doubt it. But hey at least I get to hang out with Gaara again, that kid is a hoot."

Naruto wearily made his way into the town in the first kingdom where he could find his friends.

The site he found wasn't what he had been expecting, the city was thriving. In the year and a half since his last visit the town had certainly grown, it could probably be classified as a city now.

"Wow it sure has grown. I wonder what else has changed?"

"Still talking to yourself, out loud, I see."

Naruto's attention turned to a feminine voice that had just spoken to him from a nearby wall. He wasn't able to see who had spoken before he was in a powerfully tight hug. And by the force of it, Naruto could tell his welcomer was Temari.

"Oh Naruto it has been far to long!" Temari exclaimed as she continued to squeeze Naruto to death.

"Yes…I…agree…and…cant…breath."

Temari instantly let go, and started blushing out of embarrassment.

"Oh sorry Naruto, I did it again didn't I?"

"Just a little." Temari had a habit of these overly enthusiastic and strong hugs, and she never did improve, but Naruto didn't mind to much.

"So were you waiting for me? I didn't think I let you know I was showing up."

"Oh I was just bored so I thought I would people watch at the town entrance, it was just coincidence. So what does bring you here?"

Naruto started laughing for a minute, he had almost forgotten why he came when Temari had hugged so tight.

"I'll tell you over dinner."

"Oh we have to make you a birthday dinner!"

"But my birthday was like a month ago."

"Yeah but you haven't celebrated with us yet have you?"

"Guess not, after all it isn't everyday a little tyke turn 13."

"Yes make fun of me for being 3 year younger than you. It isn't that big a difference."

"Keep telling yourself that junior. Now let's head home, I'm sure Gaara-niichan will be over excited to see you."

The walk back was pleseant, catching up on a few things with Temari, and feeling the life coming from the town he hadn't felt life like this in a human city ever. So it was exceptionally wonderfull.

The welcome he received when he arrived at the house was just as he had expected it. Kankuro just hit him, smiled and walked off. The family's cat thing scratch him all over. And of course Gaara being the little 4 year old he is jumped right up at Naruto cheering and shouting and trying to play.

Naruto had no quarle with any of it. He really appreciated the warmth he got from this family of friends. They made him feel like that family cousin that people don't see for a while but always becomes the life of the family activities when he shows up.

After the dinner was done and over and the makeshift birthday party, which ended up being a party for everyone for they all had had birthdays sense last they saw each other, Temari decided it was time to get down to business and find out why Naruto had chosen this particular time to return.

"So Naruto, what brings you back?"

Kankuro perked up at this, he hadn't even considered a reason for Naruto showing up.

"Yeah, what's going on?"

Naruto sighed knowing he had to tell them, they could probably be his biggest support in his search. A patch of red hair pulling on his pant leg wanting to play was impeading his proceeding a little bit.

"Naruto-niichan, please!"

"In a little while Gaara, k?"

"Fine…" The small child left with a huff dropping things along the way. A few of the things caught Naruto's attention greatly. Gaara was dropping rocks. Yet there were none in the house, so where did the come from?

"Where does Gaara get those rocks?"

"What?"

Temari and Kankuro turned and saw the little path of destruction their little brother left behind.

"Oh not again, I don't know where he keeps getting these rocks but he keeps dropping them whenever he is upset." Kankuro said as he got up and started picking them up.

"But pay that no mind Naruto, now tell me, what brought you here?"

Naruto turned his attention back towards Temari.

"Tell me have you ever seen anyone else get rocks or sand or dirt from as hidden a source as Gaara?"

"That is an odd question."

"Just answer the question."

"No Naruto, I have never seen anyone so stealth fully get rocks as Gaara does."

Naruto smiled a triumphant smile.

"Have you asked him where he gets them?"

"Yes…But this is dumb can't you just…"

"And what does he say?"

"That he doesn't know, they just sort of appear."

Naruto's smile grew even bigger.

"I came looking for someone and I think I found that person in Gaara."

"Explain." Temari demanded.

"I came looking for The Elemental Seraphim of Earth, that person is a powerful magic wielder that has an unreal control of earth itself. I think it might be Gaara. I need that person to help rebuild The Council. That way we can take some sort of fight to the demons."

"You want my brother to fight the demons?!"

"Oh no he is much too young. But when he is old enough…"

"Naruto?"

"Yes, Temari?"

"What is this council you are trying to make?"

Naruto went into great detail of what he had learned of The Council, and its now corrupted members and the happenings that involve the Seraphim. He knew that Temari was very protective of her younger siblings and the only way Gaara could even get training he needed was to be a hundred percent straight with her.

"So that is it. When Gaara is old enough he will need to join us."

Temari took a while to take it all in. Nodding at a few thoughts she had then shaking her head. Naruto figured she was having an internal argument.

"Ok Naruto, this is how it is going to work. Whenever you get all the people needed for this council thing, the age you are when it is finally put in effect will be the minimum age you must be to be a part. That way Gaara-niichan can't complain that you did it when you were younger than him. Also until the time that Gaara-niichan is old enough to take his chair in The Council, I will fill in for him. I am a very well educated person myself and have some experience in politics and am a great fighter, so this shouldn't be a problem. Those are my stipulations on you being able to have Gaara-niichan as a seraphim person. Granted that we also check the rest of the town just in case it isn't Gaara-niichan. Are we in an agreement?"

Naruto didn't really have much of a choice in the arangment. He knew Temari's personality and once she decided something she stuck to it. Meaning if Gaara did turn out to be the seraphim and he didn't take the arrangement then his whole mission would be out the window. Giving it one last thought and one last sigh Naruto agreed to it.

"All right, I agree to everything you have said so Gaara will be able to join the battle. Now if you will excuse me I believe a little boy wanted to play ball."

Naruto got up to leave the table and go play with Gaara.

_Awesome 2 in about a year's span, not to bad I think._

* * *

Something about the fight Sakura was watching was different. It was intoxicating, watching the incredible power and ferocity coming off the 3 fighters.

_What is this that I am feeling? Something about Naruto. His powerful moves, his toned muscles glistening with sweat. I think I am excited? This is turning me on?_

**Yes the monster is seducing you. He is will make you blind to the truth. But don't fall victim Sakura, you can't look at him.**

_Maybe…no wait, your wrong._

Sakura was drawn from her thoughts by the shaking of the mountain. If at all possible the powerful air pressure Naruto was forcing on the arena was shaking the mountain to its very core. His opponent in the ruby struggling to stand due to the pressure, yet still the one in the storm robe didn't seem effected in the least. The person seemed almost not interested in the fight anymore.

The red one regained his composure and raised both his hands and fast as light. With his hands came 12 coloumns of fire from under the earth surrounding Naruto.

"Give up Naruto!" The one in red seemed to be losing his temper.

"Well seems I am trapped."

"Are you conceding?"

"Nope."

* * *

"Thank you Ero-sennin! At least this time I have an idea of who I am looking for. His note tells me the Elemental Seraphim of Fire is an Uchiha. I wonder what this guy will be like? I hope to hell they aren't like Kakashi, always late, seems like he should always be somewhere else. Damn him he gets annoying, but I do enjoy is company. Hey I sound like Jiraiya talking about myself."

Naruto continued his walk down the crack and broken rode surrounded by grey dirt and sparse dead trees. If there had been headstones anywhere it would seem almost as a haunted graveyard.

"Why the hell is this Uchiha person in the 5th kingdom? Do you know Kurama?" Naruto asked his cute little fox that he had rescued about a month ago.

It just gave a blank stare back like it didn't care in the least.

"Right I forget sometimes you are just a fox. But even if you are your still a great listener. So how much further you think till we hit this town?"

Kurama didn't even look back at Naruto and kept walking.

"Oh right, again just a fox."

The pair continued their walk of Naruto talking pointlessness and Kurama walking in front without a care. Eventually the two came to a strange wall with a symbol of a fan.

"What the hell? Is this village called Fan? Because that would be so stupid."

"Don't belittle our clan village kid!"

A man stood up in a little tower on the wall.

"Hey you! What village is this?"

"Kid this is the village of the Uchiha clan! And don't belittle our clan symbol."

"Wait this whole village is Uchihas?"

"Yes."

"Oh Fuck! Fuck! Fuck Fuck Fuck!"

The watchman did his job and watched as Naruto just kept swearing.

"Damnit piss spewing blood guts in hell! Ok calm down Naruto, I shouldn't get angry because of this I can handle this. So guardsman can you let me in I need to find someone."

Naruto started walking towards the gate until realizing it wasn't opening.

"Is there a problem with the gate?" Naruto asked curiously.

"No."

"Well then open it?"

"No."

"Oh you are one of those people, please open the gate my kind Lord of the Entry. It would be appreciated much if you could allow me entrance thus into your so humble town."

"Screw the proper tongue kid; I am not letting you in."

"Why?"

"No outsiders, it is the rule set up by the Head of the Clan."

"What? That is total bullshit! Why?"

"It is to stop infiltration by the demons hordes. They send many spies here to learn of our secrets."

"What could you guys possibly have as a secret that the demons would want?"

"I can't tell you that is the whole point of not letting you in, you aren't allowed to know."

"Right, well can you bring the Clan Head to the gate I am sure if I talk to him I will be allowed."

"Sorry I can't do that."

"Please! If you not I am just going to stay right here and…and…hack at the stone of your wall with my sword. It won't accomplish anything but making an annoying noise."

"Do your worst kid." The guard threatened.

That forced Naruto's hand and he went about just hacking at the wall for no apparent reason. And the guard paid it no mind, well for the first 3 hours at least.

The noise was terribly repetitive and irritating, the fact the kid had the will power to continuily make it was surprising enough, but if he didn't get the kid to stop soon the noise might drive him insane.

"ALL RIGHT!"

Naruto stopped what he was doing.

"All right kid I will go get the clan head, just stop doing that damnit."

"K."

_Good. Now maybe I will be able to talk to the clan leader and make him understand the severity of the situation. And hey the fact he is the clan head would mean he knows every other member, thus knowing who the seraphim is._

It took around 30 minutes but the guardsman was true to his word, and he brought a noble looking man, appearing to be about as old as Jiraiya. He wore elegant robes of lavender and maroon, with mid back length hair, in an onyx shade. He was clearly someone of high standing.

He was the first to talk.

"Greetings lad, what brings you here?"

"Hello there. I came in search of someone but your gate guard will not let me in."

"That is what he was supposed to do, what makes you think you are worthy of gaining entrance?"

"Because of who I seek."

"And who is that?"

"The Elemental Seraphim of Fire." When the final word was uttered the clan head was upon him. He had jumped down from his tower and now had Naruto by the throat.

"Eh..what?" Naruto barely squeezed out.

"Who are you boy?" The man asked with more of a tone telling Naruto to tell him who he was, and not to please introduce himself.

"…neck…"

The noble dropped Naruto onto his ass. "There."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I am The Elemental Seraphim of Wind, and I seek my comrade of Fire. And who am I addressing?"

"I am Uchiha Madara, the Clan Head of the Uchiha Clan and I command a great deal of respect so please call me sama."

"No."

"What?!"

"Sorry but I don't like formality. Besides the best you would get would be a dono, you aren't higher than me."

"Brat, I should crush you."

"How? You face a seraphim."

"As do you."

Naruto would have looked shocked but his face was currently residing in the ground, for faster than his eyes could follow Madara had smack his head into the ground.

"Boy, you are no seraphim. A true one would have at least blocked that. It was so easily tracked."

Naruto slowly got his face from the dirt. And now he had a killer head ache.

"Sorry to disappoint, I am fairly new at this. And why does everyone enjoy hitting my head into the dirt?" He said with his hands and knees giving him support.

Madara saw something glint in the sun around Naruto's neck as he was propping himself up.

"What is that?"

Looking behind himself at Kurama, who just looked right back with no care his master had just been hit, he suddenly felt like he was talking to an idiot.

"That is a fox."

Madara had the same feeling Naruto just had of talking with an imbecile.

"Not that, the necklace."

"Oh this?" Naruto sat on his knees getting off his hands and grabbed hold of the gem.

"Just a necklace."

"Who gave it to you?"

Naruto didn't feel like saying just then so he lied.

"Found it, thought it was pretty, made a necklace."

"Oh, never mind then. So tell me boy why do you seek me?"

Naruto heaved a heavy sigh and went on his rant of why he needed the power of the seraphim and the council.

"Well that is a lengthy tale, and by watching you I can tell you are true…I might agree…"

"Really?" Naruto said excited.

"If the fact that come year's end it won't be my decision anymore."

"Why?"

"...Come inside."

Madara lead Naruto into the village. It was a strange village. Everyone looked like the others brother, and everything had the fan symbol on it. But in itself the architecture was reminiscent of the ninth kingdom, considering there wasn't really an architectural type for the 5th kingdom considering all its city had basically been wiped from them map.

Naruto was brought to the apparently main house of the clan, it was exceedingly larger than the others and had the most fans painted everywhere.

Naruto sat himself down in a very comfortable chair while Madara sat across from him.

"Naruto, what I am going to tell you I shouldn't."

"Then why tell me?"

"I have a theory about something."

"Alright?"

"Pay my reasons no mind. Listen a significant advantage the Fire Seraphim has its their eyes."

Madara close his eyes for a moment then reopened them. The black noble eyes that had been there a moment ago were replaced with strange red eyes, that had 3 black tomoe in each eye. They were incredible.

"This is called the sharingan, and only the Fire Seraphim has it. Our clan came to covet these eyes more then the power of fire itself. So we knew we had to make sure this seraphim stayed in our bloodline."

"But the seraphim are chosen randomly."

"I know boy, don't interrupt."

"You sound like Ero-sennin."

"I don't care. Now we knew we had to have the sharingan so we made a pact with a dark warlock, who using a spell he devised along with the seraphim's depth of magic, we came up with a way to transfer the seraphim power from one to another."

"What did the warlock get?"

"Oh just one of our woman, virgin, unspoiled thing that he could have his way with."

That did offend Naruto greatly, he didn't like the idea of a girl being used as a bartering tool for power.

"You said that so nonchalantly. Doesn't the fact you basically sold a girl for no reason make you feel guilty?"

"I didn't do it, and no it wouldn't. SO we now have a spell that whenever a seraphim hits a certain age he will pass it on to another worthy candidate, through said incantation. And my time to pass it on will come at the end of the year. That is why I can't help you."

"Ok well then I'll convince the next person to do it, who will be receiving it?"

"It hasn't been decided, it is down to 3 candidates. A young lad about your age named Sasuke, his elder brother Itachi, and a man in his mid 20s named Obito."

"Well that's alright I will come back at the year's end to find out."

"No."

"No?"

"As I said, no. The moment you leave you won't be let back in. I might lose the seraphim power but I will still be clan head for and I won't allow you to reenter."

"WHAT?!"

Naruto got pretty pissed at this and threw the tea table that had been between the two of them and grabbed Madara by the neck.

"You Basterd! You claimed you liked The Council idea and now you snuff it aside with some bull shit rule you just made up."

Madara chuckled a little to himself. If he desired he could easily get Naruto off him, but he wanted to see the reaction he had to his idea.

"The only way for you to get their approval would be stay here for the rest of the year."

Naruto stopped his yelling but didn't forgo his grip. Taking a moment to think about it.

"Will I be able to communicate with the rest of the world?"

"No."

"…Will I be at least be able to send one letter now?"

"Yes."

Weighing his options, Naruto knew he already had to say yes, he had to consent to Temari's demands he would have to consent to Madara's.

"Fine."

The year came and went. Naruto adapted to life in the Uchiha compound fairly easily, and made a best friend in one of the candidates for the seraphim, Sasuke.

When the time came to finally announce who had been picked and begin the transfer spell Naruto was in the front row, so he would be able to basically descend upon the new Elemental Seraphim of Fire about the Council immediately.

"The time has come, the new Elemental Seraphim of Fire and inheritor of the Sharingan Eyes will be…"

* * *

The seraphim in red was getting incredibly frustrated with Naruto. Here he was trapped in pillars of fire and still wouldn't give up. Even all his wind efforts would be in vain for the wind only made fire stronger.

He slowly made his way towards Naruto's fire prison.

"Naruto, you know enemies won't be this nice to you and by constantly telling you to give up as I am. Just do it."

"Nope."

He made it all the way to the fire bars and was staring straight at Naruto.

"You are so frustrating!" In a moment of irritation he deactivated the sharingan eye. That was Naruto's time to attack. Naruto drew a small knife and tried his hardest to leap straight through the flames at his opponent.

This tactic was definitely successful for it caught him off guard, and when his sharingan was deactivated none the less so he couldn't react in time. Naruto had him pinned with a knife to the throat.

"Yeild, Itachi!"

Itachi threw up his hands and did just that.

"Fine Naruto, you got me. But you still have one more to deal with."

Naruto climbed off his comrade and offered his hand, but before Itachi could take it, a rivers worth of water shot Naruto into the cliff wall, making several large pieces of rock fall onto him.

* * *

"Only one left, yes sir. In less than a month's time I should have the council together, we can over throw the old, and set up our new headquarters in Coadunation with the elves. All Jiraiya's note said for this one however is very vague I mean how am I supposed to follow these directions when all they say I go south from Uchiha? This is so frustrating."

Naruto was scratching his head in frustration.

He had finally convinced Itachi to join up and started heading south about 4 months ago. He just kept telling himself another month every new day so as to not get frustrated.

Over the days walk the clouds grew darker slowly but surely.

"Looks like rain I guess…There I go talking to myself some more. I really have a bad habit of this. And I am still doing it even when I'm talking about doing it. Damn it I wish I had someone to travel with me. A pretty girl would be even better, but what are the chances of that ever happening, aye Kurama?"

The fox huffed and ran off ahead.

"Right... fox."

Sooner than Naruto had wanted the lightning shot through the air and the thunder crashed.

"Damn I am going to be stuck in the down pour."

Naruto started to run trying to find some sort of shelter, and when Kurama saw him running he started running in step. There was no tree cover in this kingdom, they were all dead. But there did seem to be a cottage off in the distance.

"Jackpot."

When Naruto arrived at what he had assumed a cottage the rain started to fall. The structure itself was actually 2 walls, a roof, and a pole holding up the last corner of the roof. It didn't matter to Naruto however, it was shelter and that was enough.

The sound of the rain on the roof was nice and soothing for Naruto as he took in where he was. The small building was located overlooking a bone yard of some kind. Thousands of bones strewn about everywhere in the pit. All different sizes and shapes.

_I wonder what animals made those bones. Wait what is that? Or more of who is that apparently?_

A person was standing in the middle of the bone yard all by themselves during the downpour.

_I wonder if they are lonely. Damn my kind heart, I apparently feel the need to check on them._

Naruto left the safety of the building, leaving Kurama dry underneath as he gets wet going to talk to this person. The walk down into the pit wasn't the most fun thing Naruto had ever done but he managed. The whole time he descended the edge, the person remained standing there. Though the closer Naruto got the more he could see of the person. Said person was wearing a black cloak with a hood. Very standard for travelers, and black pants.

Making it safely to the bottom of the pit Naruto started to walk towards the person, he was going to ask if they were alright, or if they were depressed and needed something but the person spoke first.

"Uzumaki Naruto, good of you to show up finally."

The person's voice was definetly male. A very strong voice that screamed I am in control. And somehow he knew Naruto.

"How do you know me?"

"How could I not. I mean you have gone about the whole world looking for the seraphim. And I am well informed in the world."

Naruto didn't like this person and started to draw his sword.

"Put it away boy, you don't want to lose."

"Who said you would beat me. I have been training quite a lot."

Which had been true most the time he spent at the Uchiha compound was spent refining his skills.

"I see The Old Witch didn't tell you anything."

"Witch?"

"The crone who gave you that necklace."

"Tsunade-baachan?"

"Call her what you will, I would think someone she holds valuable to herself such as you, she would at least impart some knowledge as where and where not to tred, and who and who not to tred near."

"What do you mean?"

"You are in the feeding ground of a demon, with me no less."

Naruto realized the only thing able to eat these kinds of creatures would be the demons.

"Who are you? You clearly know of me. Yet I know nothing of whom I speak to currently."

"I will make this easy, I am who you seek, I thought it best to find you so you wouldn't have to waste both our times. And as to the proposition, I accept under one condition."

"Fair enough, what is it?"

Chains of water formed from the descending rain and wrapped around Naruto's writs and ankles anchoring him to bones.

The man turned to face Naruto finally, his face was covered in piercings and he had orange hair His eyes were a strange set of grey concentric circles.

"Let us see how much you can handle before you scream." The man said drawing a knife from his cloak.

* * *

Sakura had pretty much lost her voice long ago from screaming for Naruto's safety. But mental she couldn't stop yelling for Naruto to be ok in that barrage of rocks that had just fallen on him.

Slowly one of the rocks moved and Naruto emerged. Half of his head was covered in blood making it hard to see from one eye, where as his other eye was swollen huge.

_Oh my sweet Naruto-kun, please stop trying to impress me and just concede. _

Naruto slowly walked from the pile towards the center of the arena.

"Come now Pein, you know it takes far more than this to get me to lose my will."

"Yeah but that doesn't mean you shouldn't stop while you are still breathing, Naruto!" Yelled a voice from behind Sakura. She turned to see that it was the Kakashi person, and with him was Itachi. The had apparently come up here at sometime without her noticing.

"Listen to Kakashi, Naruto." Yelled Itachi.

Pein said nothing, he knew of Naruto's iron will, and nothing would break it. So he just had to have fun with the boy. And fun he would have.

Naruto smiled through the blood.

"Don't worry guys I have a trump card not even Pein can defend against."

Naruto thrust his hand into the air, a strange wind started to blow. It was ice cold air as if you were getting blown on in the arctic, yet at the exact same time it was a scorching win from the desert. Naruto's whole arm started to glow.

"Naruto is using that?!" Kakashi said.

Sakura drew her attention back to the fight for apparently this was Naruto's best. And Pein knew it was his best also and had to stop it before he could complete it.

He charged Naruto and punched him in the stomach hard. It was so hard Naruto keeled over into the fetal position. And Pein spoke his first words of the fight.

"Yield Naruto."

Naruto smiled through the pain at his fellow seraphim.

"Fine I concede no problem with losing."

Sakura let out a breath she didn't know she was holding when she heard him say those words.

Sakura asked if someone could take her to Naruto. Kakashi was the one to volunteer, and said how could he stand between a boyfriend and his girlfriend.

Sakura got to the arena thing and ran straight to Naruto.

"Naruto!" She screamed.

Naruto looked up and smiled weakly at her.

"Hey Sakura-chan."

She embrassed him in a sweet but soft hug. Knowing she shouldn't be too ruff with him, for he was pretty mangled.

"Naruto, you baka." She said almost crying "Do you have any idea how much it hurt to watch you suffer like that. Please don't do something that stupid again just to impress me."

Naruto chuckled then proceed to cough up some blood.

"Well did it work?"

Sakura smiled back at the man in her arms. "Of course."

Slowly Naruto was able to bring himself into a seating position in Sakura's embrace. He then turned his attention towards Pein.

"Ok now that we have the usual formalities out of the way. Why was I summoned in the first place."

Pein stood cold and unmoving with him back to everyone.

"Well Naruto, The Tower of Gaia to the North has been completely destroyed."

* * *

Another chapter done, i personaly liked how the chapter turned out, got a little background on the seraphim.

Review if you liked it, let me know how im doing and such, and well if you dont like this story i have no idea why you have read it this far meaning this message is probablly pointless


	11. P1:C10: Night Mære

I dont own Naruto

"Talking"

_thoughts_

**strange voice**

* * *

Chapter 10 

If one were to look upon Haruno Sakura at this moment they would see the tears pouring out of her eyes, it was like a free flowing river of sorrow, and they wouldn't help but think that this anguish was for the awful state that mangled man in the bed beside her was in. Yet the truth would only be half of that reason, the river did involve the person to her left but it wasn't for the broken condition that he had found himself in. It was due to the torment her mind was going through because of this man in the bed.

"Oh Naruto, why? Is this voice right? Must I do away with you? Must I kill you?"

The images were still burned into her mind, even though it started 3 days ago. The fight that occurred between The Elemental Seraphim had ended and Pain won by Naruto's forfeit. The battle had seemed way beyond a battle. It seemed as if a war had occurred in that small little area. That was the aura of the intensity that it gave off to its spectators.

* * *

"Well Naruto, The Tower of Gaia to the North has been completely destroyed." Pain said without even looking at them when he decided to voice those words. 

_Where have I heard that before…Oh yeah that is the sister tower to the Tower of __Oranus__. It's fallen? That's crazy I wonder what happened._

Sakura was thinking while holding on to the bleeding Naruto in her arms. The way he felt in her arms changed, he felt suddenly worse. His body had started convulsing in Sakura's arms, making all his wounds open up larger than they were, with blood staining the fancy light green dress she had been wearing straight to her skin. Though through the pain and the blood Naruto forced a few words out.

"The…Tower…of Gaia has…fallen?"

Pain paid no mind to the awful condition that Naruto had found himself in and only uttered one word.

"Yes"

Naruto started shaking worse. Sakura was started to get terribly worried for Naruto's life. Why was this news effecting in such a bad way?

Sakura turned to look at Naruto with a loving gaze in her eyes, she was going to try to calm him down a little and slow the convulsions. But what she saw adorned on Naruto's face shook her to her very soul. In the place where his beautiful cerulean eyes should have been, which she would admit she was starting to fall in love with, were the red eyes. Those slit red eyes that plagued her dreams, the ones that burned your soul to look upon, as if the entirety of hell itself was looking upon you. There they were inside Naruto's head. And the cut scars on his face distinguishing whiskers were more pronounced and defined, only adding to the effect the eyes gave off.

A small gasp escaped Sakura's lips and in shock she let go of Naruto. When the contact between the two was broken Naruto fell unconscious as though Sakura's life force had been sustaining his own.

Pain had already left in a sudden pillar of water, disappearing into it, once he had seen that Naruto had understood what was said. Leaving Sakura currently alone with Naruto who she was now scared of. She knew very well that from the look of his wounds that he needed immediate help but she was to stuck where she was out of her own cold fear.

Kakashi slowly walked over to were Sakura sat and Naruto laid, out of fear that something might have happened, for the girl Naruto cherished so much had just dropped him and how now become a statue.

Kakashi put his hand onto Sakura's shoulder to let her know he was there, he also expected her to jump at least a mile, but she didn't even move an inch.

"Sakura-san are you alright?"

He got no response from her but a look of utter terror.

He had no idea what could have occurred, so he proceeded to presume she was a hemophiliac and since she was covered in Naruto's blood she had gone into some sort of state of shock.

"Temari?"

"Yes Kakashi?"

"Please escort Sakura-san here to the bathhouse, she needs some cleaning. And while you do that I will take Naruto here to a medic, then I'll take him on home. Alright?"

"Sure Kakashi."

Sakura didn't know what was going on, all that she could see and picture in her mind's eye was Naruto with his satanic eyes and her voice repeating things it had heard from the dark voice, in her head.

_Next time you see this eye could very well be the last thing you see._

_What happens when that monster that he is starts killing them all?_

At some point Sakura was cleaned and changed. It didn't even bother her at all that someone she had no idea of who they were had just seen her naked. Someone then proceeded to ask her if she wanted to see something, she couldn't recall what though. Just those eyes, they haunted her. Her vivid nightmares and that awful voice had brought Sakura to the belief that whoever possessed those eyes was the source of all the problems and strife in her life.

When her vision finally cleared and she regained part of her brain to sanity she found herself in a room, sitting beside a bead. It was a very strange room, as though three different people inhabited it. The three walls that she was able to see all were covered with different things. One wall had on it many goofy looking objects, like strange masks with popping eyes, a variety of bells and annoying instruments all painted funny colors. And most of the objects had been hung upside down. The strangest thing of all on the wall was an orange and green jester outfit, also hanging upside down. That wall must belong to a goof.

The second wall was decorated with elaborate paintings, some of the finest pieces of art Sakura had ever seen. Beautiful landscapes, and in the center was a portrait painting of a gorgeous woman with dazzling red fiery hair, she was breathtaking. The third wall was brimming with weaponry. All shapes and sizes, swords, axes, daggers, staves, scythes, arrows, maces and shields. Like an entire army could supply itself with weapons from that one wall.

Sakura's attention was finally drawn to the bed next to her. In the bed laid the boy of her dreams and her nightmares, the epitome of the current joy in her life and the sorrow. Naruto was in the bed next to her and upon that realization the ever secret voice in her mind started to speak.

**Kill him now, while you have the chance!**

"I don't think I can."

**Do it. You saw his eyes, he is a monster.**

"I'm not sure."

**Fine, take your time to think, but wait too long and you will lose your shot.**

The voice left her, and exhaustion hit Sakura like a ton of bricks upon its exit. So Sakura conceded to her exhaustion and fell asleep in the chair in which she sat.

* * *

The image before her eyes was indeed a hazy one, a baron wasteland of white mist. It was hard to see but the ground below the mist was a strange grey tone devoid of life. The air was stagnant and breathing seemed far too hard for itself. Something seemed to cloud the mind making it hard to focus and concentrate. It couldn't be the mist for it was extremely white and gentle, signifying purity about it. What then, what made this place a stagnant pit of lifelessness and death? That was the answer though, death. Strewn about the grey dirt road were bodies, or what could be the remains of bodies. The rank of decaying flesh and rotting souls filled the air and made it impossible for life to manifest itself within the confines of the mist. 

Sakura stood in horror at the sight about her. All the death was inconceivable. The dead were on a scale of a massacre level. Only a demon could be responsible for the extermination of all these helpless people.

"I can't stand to see the demons do such a thing. There must be a way to stop them and avenge these people."

**Who says a demon did this? And they can be avenged and also saved.**

The voice came and went again, with the same mystery about it as always.

"I am fairly sure I hate you!"

Sakura made her statement expecting a rebuttal but none came.

_I guess the only thing to do is press forward._

Sakura started the walk through the wasteland of death. Every step she took she risked stepping on some poor maggot infested corps. She tried her hardest to avoid stepping on the bodies, while still not looking at them, causing her to trip up many times. Something caught her eye in the mist, and it was different from a body, a strange glint of light came from it. Sakura made her way towards it and found it to be a dagger sticking out of the mist. The weapon looked familiar yet foreign, like something once seen in a dream. It had a blade black as obsidian and a handle lased with silver thread. On the blade itself was a word written in gold, in a language she had seen before but couldn't read.

_I guess it must be elfish._

Sakura reached for the blade and tried to pick it up. But it was heavier than what it had appeared to be, seemed like the tip was stuck inside a rock. She tried harder to pull it up and was able to achieve said goal when with the heavy weight. The thing that had provided said extra weight was terrifying to Sakura even with where she had somehow found herself it should have been expected. The dagger found itself logged in a dismembered head. The dagger was stuck deep inside the head. And it appeared unnecessarily cruel to cut the head off after driving a dagger into the brain.

The head slowly slid from the dagger and dislodged itself. The matted blood covered brown hair started to stand up in its five second free fall. The wound the dagger had made was gruesome, yet precise. It had been made in the center of the forehead in between the hair line and the bridge of the nose. It was such a clear cut that it seemed no blood had escaped the wound. Yet his head was still covered in it.

One of the eyes was out of the socket flicking about during the fall barely staying attached thanks to the veins and tendons connecting the eye to the skull. The pupil of the eye though flailing about seemed to watch Sakura the whole fall screaming at her for letting him die.

The head hit the ground and practically exploded. Pieces of the skull, hair and brain went everywhere. One piece of the skull made its way back up and hit Sakura on the cheek then fell back down. A few minutes passed with Sakura standing in a stunned silence in the deathgarden. Her face slowly turned to look at the new dagger she just received. The tip of it still had pieces of brain clinging to it, the pieces screaming at her in painful wails as if she had been the one to drive the dagger and ending its life. The feeling made her discard the dagger off somewhere into the mist. Although it was a beautiful and mysteries black dagger she couldn't bring herself to keep it when she felt she killed the person with it.

When the dagger was discarded like a switch being flipped finally some wind came, Sakura hoping it would provide relief. But this wind wasn't a cool refreshing fall breeze, or a warm pleasant summer breeze. No it was a dead wind. By its very touch you could tell wind was blowing but there was no soothing quality to it or relief. The wind made you feel far more aware of the tragedy around to the effect you needed to just collapse dead yourself. The wind also brought with it all the smells and stench filled aromas of death and decay of the rotting decay that had just been lingering, straight up your nose and into the brain of the unfortunate person standing there, intoxicating them on the carnage.

Another tragedy this deathwind brought to Sakura was the dispersion of the purity filled mist, the only thing leaving Sakura's imagination to come up with the images of the carnage and not gazing upon the ground herself. And the mist did go and the site Sakura took in was indescribable. The bodies covered the ground in all directions even up the small hill to her right. The hill itself brought a small ray of hope to Sakura, she saw a man standing on it.

_Oh thank __Kami__ he can get me out of here._

Sakura ran frantically for the hill wanting to close her eyes and run, but the thought of tripping worse then she had been and falling into some poor body was keeping her from that option. The run was hard on her, all the sights and smells weighed on her mind. Sakura almost couldn't take it. She did arrive at the hill though, but no relief or glimmer of hope came from the ground of the hill.

"No…"

At the summit of the hill, the man became visible. He had his back facing Sakura not even acknowledging her presence, even with the word she uttered. He wore a tight black coat, or a more red than black coat one now for it was painted in crimson blood. In his right hand he held an axe larger than himself. Its color or design was indiscernible because so many layers of dried and fresh blood were upon it, Sakura almost thought it was actually a small axe and its size came from all the bloody layers. The man held nothing in his left hand for he didn't have one, in fact he was missing his whole left arm to the shoulder, though that handicap didn't stop him from slaughtering everyone.

"Did you do all this?" Sakura asked in a shaky voice very well knowing the answer.

The man didn't respond or move, apart from picking up the axe and laying it on his shoulder.

Sakura's eyes followed the axe and when it sat upon his shoulder blade she got a look at his hair. It was spiky and wild in the shade of a yellow golden color. Only one person she had ever met had hair such as that and usually it brought a warm glow along with his cerulean eyes.

**You know it's that monster.**

"Naruto?"

"Che…Sakura-chan"

Sakura didn't even get the time to gasp at the truth. The man spun on his heals lobbing the axe towards her head as quick as the wind. She would surely die.

* * *

Sakura arose from a terrible night's dream to once again find herself alone with this boy, and the now almost ever present voice. 

**You saw it so, DO IT!**

"I can't bring myself to do it."

**Why?**

"Well he is an Elemental Seraphim and not to mention on the council, he is needed for the fight with the demons, and the council could kill me for murdering a member."

**That reason holds no water. A ****seraphim**** is always born again, and the council will understand if you explain. So you must give me a better reason.**

"Well I…"

**Yes?**

"might…"

**Out with it!**

"…love him"

**I see, but you would be willing to let all those innocent people die?**

"No…"

**Then kill him!**

_Can I bring myself to do such an act?_

**Just take the dagger from the wall and drive it into his heart.**

"Why must I be the one to kill him?"

**For you ****are**** the only one close enough to him, emotional and physically to get passed his defenses and drive the dagger in to its destined resting place.**

Sakura wanted to talk to Naruto about this, she needed to. Yet he seemed like he wouldn't be waking up for days. But if only she could hear his calming life affirming voice she wouldn't be so scared and confused. Even if they talked and she decided that the blow had to be dealt it wouldn't be so bad because he could have had a defending argument in the matter. She wanted to hold his hand, get some human contact to herself, and feel that ever present warmth that radiates off him, but Sakura feared that by touching his hand his eyes would shoot open and he would slay her where she sat. She knew it was terrible to think that but she did. So instead of holding his hand she cried into her own. Battling were the two sides of her mind, one side defending Naruto and his purity while the other side agreeing with the voice that Naruto had to die, and telling her the things she had already come to know. Unfortunately for Naruto it seemed the loving side was losing.

* * *

Sakura had awoken from a terrible dream, again she had seen her mother's death, and over and over it played in her mind. The stuff that she witnessed happen in the first kingdom's town serving to just make her dreams worse for it made the image of demons killing people around her burning mother. That ever present eye watching her. The thing just hung itself in the sky like the moon, ever present orbiting her, watching her pain and thriving on it. 

Sakura curled her knees close to her and started to cry into them. Why did she dreaming of these things and why does that eye delight in torturing her, and why wouldn't it go. It had been there since the dream she had of the flower field. She didn't know or care about the answers right now, all she did know was that she was going to cry.

Sakura started to curse herself for being so emotional, yet when people you love are killed before you, one who doesn't cry has no heart and therefore inhuman.

After crying for a few short minute Sakura was wishing for something to sooth her pain, to care for her, she wished that something in the world would do that. And her wish was granted. Two strong arms wrapped around her. They were warm and comforting arms, arms that said you were safe and that they cared for you with all their heart. The person whom the arms belong to didn't even bother asking what she cried for, they just knew that Sakura needed a pillar of strength right now to lean onto and let her weight be supported.

Sakura didn't need to think of who the person could be. Ever since she left her burnt town on the crazy journey only one had been with her, and had been the foundation on which she was able to stand.

"Naruto do you not care why I cry?" Sakura said through her tears, not really needing an answer.

The voice she heard was soft and gentle.

"Why does it matter why you are crying? Just the fact you are crying and that is something that breaks my heart to see at any time. So I will do whatever I can to bring an end to that sadness.

"Thank you"

Sakura stopped crying shortly after Naruto said his words, and she decided to not move and enjoy the simple embrace.

_What is this feeling in my chest when Naruto holds me?_

* * *

"I want Naruto to hold me like that again, like he did after that dream, or when he held me on my bed. If I was to just be in his arms my brain would function properly." 

Sakura told herself after having a nice memory, on her loving half of her brain provided to helpfully support their cause.

**You want to be held by such a destructive force.**

"When he holds me I feel loved."

**Don't let love cloud your judgment.**

"But how can someone that sweet be a monster?"

**You will let one memory of him sway your whole choice, weighed against all those awful dreams and visions?**

"…Maybe"

**What about what you said yourself? And I quote ****when people you love are killed before you, one who doesn't cry has no heart and therefore inhuman.**

"What of it?"

**Naruto never cried once for his so called friends deaths when the ****Ichibi**** killed them.**

"Yes well…"

**Your own logic shows him to be a monster, a demon spawn, and still you fight against it?**

"I…I…"

**You need to kill him!**

"I think…"

Sakura gripped her head in pain. A fearsome and terrible feeling wrapped around her mind with enough force to be melting her brain cells. A vision over took her eyes and her senses a vision she had wished she would never see.

* * *

The house the family lived in wasn't big and flashy, yet at the same time it wasn't humble either. It was of fair size and decadence. It was nicely furnished with all the latest market items. The elf market was always a handy one incorporating all the nice things they made. The house fit someone of the standing in which they found themselves in this kingdom. 

"Mommy mommy!" A small child yelled as she ran into the main gathering area of the house.

"Mommy, Tomoyo-oneechan is hitting making fun of me again." The little 5 year old girl said with tears in her eyes.

The mother gave her daughter one of those mother smiles that lets you know its alright and you are a silly person all rolled into one.

"And what did she make fun of you for this time?"

"My hair"

"Your hair is beautiful." The mom said with a smile, and she wasn't lying the girls hair was a bright strawberry blonde. The girl herself was cute with big sapphire eyes that she could make anyone do what she wanted with if she learned how to use them correctly. She would eventually look radiant beyond compare.

Another girl about 3 years older came running into the room also.

"Mom whatever Tsuta-neechan says is a lie!"

"Oh? So you weren't making fun of her hair?"

"That's why she got so worked up about? I thought it was the other thing."

The mom's smile got almost sinister at that comment.

"And what is the other thing?"

Tomoyo realizing she had said to much clammed up at that.

"Thought so."

The mom looking over her eldest daughter taking her all in. She was up to the age of 8 and she looked almost exactly like her mother, but she had her father's personality up and down.

"You two really need to learn to get along better."

The two girl's eyes go downcast. And said in unison.

"Yes ma'am."

"I mean what would your father say if he came home and saw you two fighting?"

The eldest child, Tomoyo, was the first with the snappy come back.

"Good job, keep it up?"

The mom just chuckled a little, such an appropriate answer.

"And then when I give him a stern look?"

Tsuta was the one to take this one.

"That we should be ashamed and we should behave better."

"Whipped." Tomoyo said under her breath.

"That's right he is." The mom said with a smile.

The front door was heard opening, and the usual footsteps of the man of the house was heard entering the house.

"Hi dear."

No response came from the other room.

"Honey?"

Still nothing.

"Naruto-baka?"

A man stepped into the door frame; it was clearly Naruto by the hair, whisker marks, and his strange cloak. But the eyes weren't of the Naruto known to the family; he had the eyes of a monster again.

The girls seemed to not notice, and rushed to their father to greet him coming home from once again a boring council meeting on how to deal with the Demons.

The girls hugged onto their fathers legs saying things like welcome home, and took you long enough. But he didn't respond to any of it. Nor did he greet them in the normal way by distributing hugs, giving head rubs, or making fun of them for being silly little girls. He only stood there indifferently while staring at his wife.

The girls backed away a few feet from their dad seeing that something was wrong.

"Daddy, what's the matter?" Tsuta asked.

"Nothing." He responded, but his voice was low and feral.

With a move of his hand Naruto had his daughter by the throat against the wall.

The other two women in the room both started yelling.

"Naruto! Tsuta!"

"Papa! Tsuta-neechan!"

Naruto inched towards his daughters face, and slowly slicked her cheek. With his other hand he reached into the back of his cloak and drew out a knife. He then drug the knife deep into the neck of his daughter pinning her to the wall by the throat.

The small girl struggled and gargled on the wall from which she hung. The elder child was next by the look in Naruto's eye.

"Next."

The mother got up to defend her daughter but Naruto hit her out of the way, and she crash into the wall.

"Not yet Sakura-chan. Tomoyo is up."

The girl slowly back away.

"Papa…Dad…Daddy…what? Why?" She said fear clearing controlling her voice.

"Don't run sweet heart, you will want to stay here for the show."

Before Tomoyo could blink Naruto was behind her picking her up by her shirt strangling her a little as he started walking over to a wooden chair.

He threw her into in, and brought out lengths of barbed wire, and tied the wire as tight as he could around her, forcing her into the chair.

The girl screamed and started crying in pain.

"Now it's your turn my dear"

Naruto slowly walked over to Sakura and picked her up from the wall she had crashed against and proceeded to throw her into the middle of the room.

Naruto drew his sword and slowly cut away all of Sakura's layers. Sakura started to cry herself, not for the place she found herself but for what her beloved was doing and where her children were.

When all her clothes were gone, Naruto raised his sword and plummeted it straight into Sakura's back pinning her to the floor.

"Now Tomoyo I want you to watch as I vigorously rape your mother."

Sakura couldn't bear this pain, her youngest daughter dyeing in pain, her eldest about to be tortured, and herself with a sword through her back about to be raped. Then her vision went fuzzy and a great pain swept her mind.

* * *

The vision had been intense, so much so that it had seemed to burn her retinas making her eyes useless for a time. The pain had made her fall from the chair she had been sitting in and now her whole body ached and creamed. Soon Sakura gave into the tiredness and slept, hopefully peacefully.

* * *

The court in which the gathering was taking place was almost gorgeous and almost horrifying. Just something about it seemed as if it was an amazing piece of art glorifying malfeasance. It was none the less grand. Sakura tried to walk around and mingle with the strange people she saw all over the place, but she couldn't seem to touch anything. 

"Am I dead? Am I a ghost of this court?"

**No you are just a spectator, watch closely.**

"K…"

Sakura watched with heated interest at the on goings before her. The court was made up of strange people; all things about them were off. The way the stood, what they were wearing, and just the aura's given off by these people. But Sakura decided to pay them no mind, the true draw of the spectacle was the two people at the throne area.

Two important looking dignitaries are standing near the throne; one looked to be a king clad in oranges, yellows and reds. Whereas the other was wearing black plate armor and seemed to be some very important warriors. They must have been the heads of everything for when they started to talk all attention was drawn towards them.

"I hereby declare that my knight from this moment on is free to do whatever he desires for his many years in my employment. As agreed he gets all three conditions he requested."

The knight stood from his kneeling position and removed his helmet. Sakura was surprised to once again see Naruto.

"He has killed thousands on my whims, and he brought about the fall of The Council, and actually stopped the reincarnation cycle of the seraphim. So by my royal decree Naruto can kill anyone he want, take anything he wants, including people, and do in a nutshell anything he wants."

A wicked grin came across Naruto's face.

"All hail Kyubbi-sama!" Screamed Naruto to the court.

The king transformed himself into a giant 9 tailed fox, destroying the court room in the process, watching the debris fall on all his court, letting out his maniacal laughter as he did it.

* * *

Sakura stirred awake, the memories and visions imprinted in her head were terrible. 

"Why show me all those horrible things?"

**To help make your decision**

Slowly she made her way back into the chair she had fallen out of. She slowly sat in it and started to weep into her hands for all the horrible things she had been shown. It had been 3 days since the battle between the seraphim and Naruto was still in a mangled condition with the lady Sakura at his side crying.

**You have made your choice?**

"…yes…" Sakura mumbled through her tears.

**And?**

"I'll do it." She said drawing her hands away from her face no longer crying, fairly sure no more tears would ever fall from her face again. The once vibrant color of emerald that gleamed in her eyes, was no glossy and dull as if the Sakura that used to inhabit that body was gone.

Slowly Sakura stood from the chair and walked to the wall of Naruto's that had all the weapons, she reached for a dagger hanging on the wall thinking it looked sharp enough. She turned to make her way back to the bed. The walk back towards the bed seemed like a journey through the dessert. It was long and tiring. By the time she got to the bed Sakura was sweating profusely.

The walk was a long eternity, but it seemed like an instant in time from standing on the ground to Sakura kneeling over Naruto's sleeping frame. Her knees were on both sides of his hips. She slowly drew back the covers from over Naruto's body, revealing his bare chest, as it was all scared and bruised.

Sakura felt over Naruto's chest looking for a heartbeat, she had stopped thinking so it took a moment to find the steady beating. When it was found she raised the dagger high into the air above the spot. She had been sure that no more tears could ever escape her eyes ever, but one more tear slowly made its way from her eye, when he said her final words to Naruto.

"Goodbye Naruto-kun."

The dagger came down, and in the instant before it hit some force wiped away her tear and then a loving voice replied.

"Goodbye Sakura-chan."

* * *

Well there i updated, i know this chapter is a bit heavier than usual, but i liked it, its back to the usual length 

Hope you enjoyed it and are now furiusly waiting for the next update

Well review if you care to, all my reviews so far are greatly appreciated and enjoyed


	12. P1:C11: The Chuushouteki World

I do not own Naruto

"Speaking"

_Thoughts_

**Strange voice**

* * *

Chapter 11 

Her eyelids were heavy, and to try to open them felt like she was pulling apart skin that wasn't supposed to break.

_Why is this so hard? My eyelids feel like I have never opened them before._

Sakura couldn't help the sinking feeling that the place she was in was a terrible place, that to lie wherever she was, was a sin to Kami. The human mind or at least hers wasn't supposed to comprehend the place she was in. Unfortunately she couldn't find out where that was due in part to her eyes inability to open.

_Where am I? The ground feels prickly, yet soft. Is that even possible? What is here, and how did I come to it? Last I can recall I was on Naruto-kun's bed, with a dagger…I said my goodbye, and then…nothing, what is it I missed? Well I know what I missed had to be a hell of a lot for you can't go from a bedroom to a place that feel such as this in mere seconds can you? And what happened to Naruto-kun? Did I kill…was that was really needed to be done?_

**All excellent questions, and never go doubting what you did, that was correct.**

_You…you brought me here didn't you? So making me kill Naruto-kun wasn't enough for you, you had to take me some place to torture me more with visions and such!_

**Sakura my dear, I didn't bring you to this place. As to how you got here I have no clue how you entered this plane of existence. And ****no I won't torture you more****, there is no need, you are already broken.**

_Broken? _

**Pay it no mind.**

_I guess broken is correct for I feel so bad inside for what I did…how could I do that to him? I mean I know he is a monster, that part was proven to me beyond a shadow of a doubt, but still this feeling…what is it? Broken…is that what my heart is? I don't understand all these feelings._

**Like I said Sakura, pay my comment no mind. I didn't mean to make you think so much on the demon spawn. He is dead now and that is all that matters, he is no more and will not bring about that awful future.**

"I hate to be the one to inform you two of this, and for that matter break up to inner turmoil. But I felt Sakura-chan needed to be aware that in this world she has no inner monologue so all the things she is thinking can be heard by the birds, the bees, and all the other things."

There was no mistaking that voice. It was etched into her mind forever as a voice of comfort and joy, even though the image of the man with it had become tainted and coated in tar, the voice had always been an anchor.

Sakura had to see, there was no way she would be stopped from seeing now. So she forced her eyes to be open, no matter the pain that came from it. She did it, and yet the pain she was feeling in her eyes was not from the eyelids being forced open, but from the shear intensity of the light hitting her irises, like the light of a thousand suns was gathered in front of her face to blind her.

The light faded after what seemed an eternity, who knew how long it had actually been. Sakura's attention was drawn automatically when she could see again. It went straight above her where his voice was heard from. It had haled from a tree apparently, and it was full of fruit. Sakura had been sitting under an apple tree. There in the branch almost directly above her was a smiling Naruto, looking straight at her flashing one of his big old toothy grins.

"Hey Sakura-chan about time you looked up. Apple?"

Slowly backing away from the tree she had found herself against, Sakura almost tripped. She couldn't get near Naruto, for almost the entirety of herself was saying he would kill her, well she thought it was most of her saying it.

"Sakura-chan, it's just an apple." Naruto said puzzled as she was backing away from him.

"DON'T COME NEAR ME!"

Naruto's face dropped.

"So it's true then…"

"Yes I learned you are a monster, I will not have you kill me."

_Sorry Naruto-kun, but I can't die now._

Naruto started to giggle a little.

"What is so funny monster?!"

Naruto looked to Sakura.

"You are silly, as I said before in this world you have no inner monologue."

"And what world is that?"

"The Chuushouteki World."

Sakura only stared at Naruto, fear still prevalent in her eyes but also curiosity lingered in them as well.

"The abstract…It is a world between your body and mind. A pathway if you will, that allows for the passage of thoughts and feeling from the metaphysical world where in your brain resides to the physical plane where your being is located."

"But my…my brain is physical…"

"Oh sorry, um…brain of the soul I guess is what I am going for, the physical brain controls your body, the functions it goes through, raising your arms, breathing, heartbeat, blinking, all examples. Whereas this particular brain, if it should so be called, controls your thoughts, feelings, and emotions."

"And how did I get to such a place?"

"I brought you here." Naruto said while jumping down from the tree. Sakura's eyes widened in shock at seeing the apple tree die when Naruto no longer touched it. She started making herself further away from him.

"I brought you here, to find the rat."

"Rat?"

"The corrupter of your mind."

"I have no corruption!"

"Look at the world itself, it is dead, if that doesn't signify corruption I don't know what does."

**The only corruption that Sakura suffers at ****all,**** is the corrupting life essence of one certain demon spawn boy who won't just die so she can live.**

"Big words for one who doesn't want to show himself!" Naruto yelled to the empty sky.

**I shall gladly show myself unto you.**

Sakura felt a strange force behind her; it wasn't that of the wind blowing, or water rising, it was something different. The force could have just been a feeling, for it felt poisonous at first, and then a dramatic change the next second to that of bliss.

"So that is what you look like?"

**Yes.**

The voice was different than before, instead of an ominous voice that spoke from nowhere; this one came from over her shoulder.

**Have no fear Sakura, he shan't harm you.**

She looked behind her to find a knight. The knight was taller than her, taller than Naruto, he stood around 6 feet 8 inches, making him one of the tallest people Sakura had ever seen. He wore plate armor all over his body, and it was the most dazzling white matching Hinata's eyes. Along the armor were etchings of animals fighting, a dog, pig, rooster, sheep, ox, horse, rabbit, snake, monkey, and a rat. All over the armor were these etchings, even on the helm he wore. The helm itself was in the shape of a tiger's head, where as his cape were that of dragon wings. He looked to be pure, he smelled pure, and even the aura he gave off was pure, yet Sakura felt an aching inside her that something about him was amiss.

"So what do you call yourself?"

**The Zodiac**

"Witty and FYI I am known as Blonde Hair… You couldn't be more original?"

**You may also address me and Savior. **

"I'll go with Zodiac. Ok Sakura-chan, if this is the man that must fall for the sake of you getting your mind back I shall get rid of him."

**She doesn't want me gone; she wants you out and dead.**

"Really, she wants that? Or is it you told her that is what she wanted? Listen Sakura-chan, this is your mind, don't let him make your decisions for…"

Naruto's words were cut off as an arrow pierced his shoulder.

"SHIT!" He yelled in pain while grabbing his shoulder, and dropping his apple.

**You want me to fall? Then make me fall. And you better bring out your wind immediately or you will lose.**

"Alright then, and sorry but can't bring the wind." Naruto let go of his shoulder, and drew his sword from under his cloak. He also drew a second sword, shorter than the other from his other side.

**Why not?**

Zodiac drew forth from a sheath on his back a very large claymore. On its blade was writing, but couldn't be read for it had worn away over ages.

"I am not going to answer that."

Naruto charged forward with blinding speed, and Zodiac matched him. Both swung their swords at the other, but before they collided Naruto was hit in the chest by Zodiac's foot and was sent careening into the apple tree, sending shards of dead wood everywhere. Before he had time to recover Zodiac was upon him bringing down his sword cutting Naruto deep into his back.

"AHHHH!" Naruto screamed.

**Feel it boy. Feel the pain.**

Zodiac withdrew his sword from Naruto's back and rose it again this time to kill the young man. As it fell Naruto rolled out of the path of the blade, and it missed. That didn't mean however that Zodiac didn't see the role and kicked Naruto in the air.

He jumped after Naruto's soaring body. And whispered into Naruto's ear.

**You can't stop me boy, I have embedded myself to deep in this world. I own her mind; you wouldn't believe the things I showed her to make her turn on you. I will say she had a strong will to hold out as long as she did. But she is mine and you will die. For I know you won't raise arms against her. **

"I can expel you and make her mind right again." Naruto said weakly.

**Idiot, this is her mind, her will is law. So if I own her mind, and her mind's will is law, there is no way I can be dispelled.**

"I know how this world works thank you."

**Then why have false hope?**

"Because you don't own her mind yet."

The sentence angered Zodiac, so much so that he swung his claymore at Naruto's rising waist. The hit was hard and clean. The sword went straight through and the now two pieces of Naruto's body fell back down, with Zodiac following.

_Naruto-kun…no…_

Zodiac landed and looked to Sakura.

**Do not morn him.**

"She can morn whoever she wants." Naruto said as he stood from the spot he had hit.

**Impossible I cut you clean in ****half,**** you should have been evicted from this world by now.**

Naruto didn't seem to even care what Zodiac had said, his gaze was directed at Sakura.

"Sakura-chan listen I know he must have shown you terrible things but you can't believe them, I would never do any of it, I swear. Especially to you Sakura-chan, and you need to make the choice to believe it or not, and not let this strange man tell you what to choice. This is your mind, don't let him control it!"

Naruto suddenly found an elbow deep in the side of his temple, when he was done talking.

**Shut up boy! You want to see the pain you will inflict on the world, and the future that has brought Sakura to such ruin. FINE! It will be your downfall.**

He quickly looked to Sakura.

**Sakura bring out the Naruto futures, make him die by the hand of himself and his sin.**

_I am not sure how._

**Just think of those awful Naruto's and I will do the rest.**

_But…_

**DO IT, MAKE THE MONSTER PAY!**

_…right._

Sakura started to think hard on the three Naruto's. And Zodiac started to mutter an incantation under his breath, then thrust his hand forward.

Naruto slowly regained his composure after his head trauma, just in time to see three being forming from the darkness. The shadows came up from the ground and formed them. They each formed differently; the one wielding an axe formed by first making his whole left arm and then the left arm went inside out and formed the rest of the body minus the arm. Another formed first from the eyes, eyes Naruto recognized, the evil eyes. The face formed out of the eyes, and then the body just shot out of the neck. The final person formed by first making a heart then coating it in darkness and the veins grew from the heart also turning black, then the muscle, etc… It was all truly a spectacle.

They each stood proud in their own unique way, all resembling in some way Naruto, which peaked his interests enough to ask them questions.

"Wow, well aren't you guys terrifying and awesome. Can I ask you your names and for you to say a little about yourselves."

In unison the three said "We are Uzumaki Naruto, and we are your future selves, the ones Sakura saw."

Naruto was a little baffled.

"Ok, you are all me…can I get each of you to give me a little more info, on yourself personally, like what happened in Sakura's visions or really just anything I might find beneficial in the future?"

The first one to speak was the one holding the axe.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I am 20 years old, I lost my arm about a year ago in a fight with Pein when I betrayed The Council, but that doesn't matter I still kill fine anyway. Sakura found me in a large field covered in dead, which I killed because I felt like it. And I was a second away from killing her but she disappeared."

"Interesting…I like how you did that, next in a similar fashion please?"

The one who had been formed by the heart was the one to speak second.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I am 26 year old, I have been in service to Kyubi-sama all my life, I do what he wants of me and I kill all that get in my way. Sakura found me when Kyubi-sama was awarding me for killing The Council."

"All right…and the last?"

**Wait! I didn't say you all could talk, you were brought forth to show what a monster he will become. Now destroy him!**

Naruto looked disappointed.

"So all but the last gets to talk, that is unfair. Please number 3 proceed."

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, I am 35 years old, I have been married to Sakura for 12 years, and we had 2 kids. She found me when I came back from a day at The Council, and I just had enough of it all and let my monster out to enjoy killing and raping my family."

"Ok then…" Naruto's face looked strained all of a sudden. And then the strain was gone in an instant with Naruto laughing hysterically.

**What is so funny!?**

Naruto was rolling on the ground now laughing so hard. And apparently in the word axe man came from laughing meant start the battle. And he charged swinging the axe in a large arch bringing it down on his laughing counterpart.

Naruto caught the axe blade in his hand, and let a wicked grin appear on his face.

"You guys are me…So that means…" The pressure in the world suddenly increased 100 fold and Sakura felt like she might be crushed. The air started the swirl around Naruto as he ripped the axe from his others hand and punching him in the chest sending him back at the other three.

The wind died down, and pressure returned to normal. And there stood Naruto grinning wildly now with a very large axe on his shoulder.

"Let's Go Naruto's, I haven't got all day!"

The red eyed Naruto took off at Naruto with a high placed kick, and Naruto ducked under the attack and sweep kicked the red eyed one's feet out from under him. That Naruto hit the ground on his back, and the real one brought the axe down towards his torso, but it was intercepted by a sword that the Naruto in the black armor was wielding. The brief interrupt in combat caught Naruto off guard and the one armed one got him in the back with a dagger.

They all had wicked smiles on their faces, for the real getting it in the back. But no blood came out of the wound, only air. Slowly the body dissipated into nothing but a gentle breeze leaving the axe to fall.

"Where did he go?" yelled the one without a left arm. His curiosity was short lived for he found himself being lifted into the air by nothing more than the air itself. The other two fakes watched on as their third member came face to face with the real Naruto who was standing proud on nothing in the air.

"Good fight Naruto Number 1." The real said with a smile. The air that had been lifting the number 1 was gone and he started to fall, and fast. He was going to hit the ground with a bang.

Naruto threw a knife from his cloak at the 1st and with a raise of his hand the dagger increased in speed and punctured the one armed man through the chest at the instant he hit the ground, effectively ending that one's charade.

"Now I could do the same thing for all of you, but where is the creativity in that?"

Naruto used his wind to once again augment his speed and appear in the midst of the other two, and they resumed the fight.

* * *

Sakura watched Naruto intently, for she had to find the reason he was fighting. He had to think to herself but without the others knowing so instead of thinking she just whispered to herself. 

"This fight makes no since. Why on Earth is Naruto fighting apparitions of his future self? Why does he protest against the fact he will be them? Why does he believe my mind to be corrupted?"

Zodiac noticed Sakura's lips moving.

**Sakura don't hide your words from me, you don't want the thoughts you think to go astray do you?**

"My thoughts go astray…astray from what?" She said with more vigor.

The noise of a body sliding towards he drew her attention from the whispers back to the fight.

Naruto stood there staring directly into her eyes, one of his opponents, the one with the evil eyes, was at her feet clearly out of the fight from inner pain, with the second nowhere within her sights.

"Astray from the predetermined thoughts he planned for you Sakura-chan. He doesn't want you to be a free thinker and form you own opinion in the matter. Don't let him do that, if you question something say it loud and proud, it's your right to have those thoughts."

**You shut up! Sakura is my bird! And I will make sure she stays in the cage I have preset for her. She will repeat all I say!**

"Sakura-chan did you…" Naruto was cut off yet again from his speech by an attack.

The black armor Naruto found his way back to the fighting field. Throwing several knives at Naruto. As a defense Naruto didn't block or dodge, he simply raised his hand as if he were holding a goblet. The knives gravitated towards his hand and started to spin in a giant spherical shape. They then stopped and fell to the ground.

"Come now Number 2. Use some wind or something, I mean if you really are me doesn't that mean you can?"

Naruto didn't wait for a response and waved his arm in front of himself in the direction of the black knight, then returned his attention back to Sakura. The wind he produced from the wave, became very fast and very sharp slicing Naruto number 2 in half.

"Sakura-chan did you hear what he called you, he said you were his bird. And that you squawk what he tells you to squawk. Sakura-chan, for the first time since we came here, think for you and act on those thoughts."

**Don't listen to him Sakura he is only…**

"Alright Naruto, tell me why were you laughing so hard when those three told their stories."

"Simple because I didn't think you would fall for something so fake."

Sakura didn't get mad at the gab at her intelligence even thought she should have.

"Why?"

"Because they were contradictory."

"Explain."

"If they were all three my future as Zodiac has proclaimed, and you have accepted then they contradict. The 1st said he left The Council, and that he lost an arm, and that he killed thousands, ok all right fine. The 2nd said he was older than the first by like 6 years, yet he still had both his arms, I can't grow back limbs. He also said he killed The Council for the Kyubi and that I was always under his command, well the 1st said no such thing so they contradict. And the 3rd with a HUGE contradiction still had both arms and was still a member of The Council, with no connection to Kyubi he just snapped and he was even older then the second. So let me see, I can regrow arms, bring the dead back to life, who still side with me after I killed them, forsake a demon under who i have always followed, and Sakura-chan married me after all those horrible things I did and then was still shocked to find that I would do horrible things to our family. See contradiction, I found it funny that's all."

Sakura stood speechless, he was right, there was no way they were all his future, that meant…

"I figure Zodiac you came up with the 3 worst possible scenarios you could think of, and showed them to her. You didn't think about linking them that just slipped your mind. Too bad."

**You little bastard!**

Zodiac lunged forward in rage, far faster than Naruto could keep up with. He started to hit blow after blow on Naruto until blood started to drip from inside the man's gauntlets.

**You little bastard! Why will you not die, I am clearly stronger and faster, due to Sakura's mind favoring me. So why won't you die even after a sword slices you!?**

Naruto was in intense pain but could bare it and keep going, and he knew why.

"The same reason the tree died when I stopped touching it." Naruto said as blood came out of his mouth.

"Because no matter how much you think you own her mind, you don't, a small part of her can't bare to see me die so her mind's will is keeping me alive. That same part of her mind that keeps me alive has tied me to her salvation, which is why whatever I touch that you have killed in her comes back alive."

Sakura watched and listened to the spectacle in awe.

**You lie! I control all of her mind!**

Zodiac shouted as be continued to hit Naruto, then kicked him in the chest making him fall to the ground about 10 yards away.

"I don't, she wants all this because she cares deeply for me. How deeply I don't know but the feelings are there. And I have complete faith in those feelings for I love her and know with her I am completely safe!"

Sakura's eyes grew wide at his statement. Naruto's eyes caught her own again.

"I love you Sakura-chan."

"Naruto…" Sakura said as tears came to her eyes.

**Enough! I will end it now!**

With sword in hand once more Zodiac charged at Naruto.

**Here you die!**

Zodiac was charging with the intent to decapitate Naruto.

Naruto's eyes never left Sakura's and he didn't move one muscle.

"Sakura-chan in you, I know I will always find safety…Goodbye."

The sword was swung.

"NARUTO-KUN!" Sakura screamed his name loud while closing her eyes not wishing to bear witness to the event.

When she did reopen them he saw that the strike had been clean through, but the person holding the sword and receiving the attack were different. Naruto and Zodiac had switch places.

**My bird has flown her coop…**

Zodiac feel over but instantaneously his body disappeared.

Sakura didn't bother wondering what happened to him, she was just so happy to see Naruto alive and not with blood and muscle falling from his neck.

"Naruto-kun!" Sakura said as she ran to Naruto.

Naruto slowly turned around as he was plowed over by and over excited Sakura. He wasn't expecting that, but less that when she plowed over him she kissed him.

He wasn't sure at first if this was actually happening but he didn't care, he decided to return it. The kiss was fiery and passionate with warm wet lips touching another pair. The feeling she was getting from his lips was amazing, and vice versa. Sakura's tongue started exploring the inside Naruto's mouth after a while and it tasted of something she couldn't place, but it tasted good none the less. As the kiss continued with the blaze of it not subsiding the world around slowly changed. No longer was it a gray dull and dead area, it became a huge forest full of life and flowers and beauty. It had rivers and animals and everything Sakura thought would have been in an old wood.

Sakura drew away from the kiss for air, and was going to say something but Naruto beat her to the punch.

"MMM, you taste of raspberries."

Sakura started to giggle then her eye sight went out and the world seemed to swirl around her.

* * *

As the vision came back to she found herself staring into Naruto's big blue eyes once again. 

"Hey…"

"Hey…"

"Sakura-chan, I love where you are but could you get off? My body is still kind of sore."

Sakura looked at where she was sitting, she was sitting on top of Naruto on his bed, and there in her hand was the dagger barely into Naruto's chest but the tip was still in and it was bleeding.

"Naruto! Oh no!" She quickly drew her hand back.

"I can't believe I did that to you, and almost killed you!"

"No harm done."

"But…"

Naruto cut her off by kissing her, their first kiss in the physical world. It was short and sweet and got his point across.

"Now please, get off?"

Sakura slowly got off of him, but stayed on the bed lying beside him.

"Naruto I am sorry, I can't believe I thought those terrible things about you."

"I understand Sakura-chan. Really your mind was easily susceptible and you did see those eyes, and I hadn't told you yet so it was my fault really."

"But why was I easily swayed, I usually have an iron will, and what is with those eyes?"

"One at a time, first why you gave way so easily. In the Chuushouteki World, one has a direct link to the emotional mind, so its easier to sway someone from there then if they were in the physical. Also when a mind is changing as yours is I believe it makes the mind even easier to mold."

"My mind is changing?"

"To adapt to the magical abilities you are gaining."

"I am getting powers?!" Sakura shouted surprised.

"I believe so yes, I call it mengic…but no one liked that term. You see I mixed the words Mental and Magic, because that is what it is mental magic, so mengic. Like the term?"

"Not really." She said giggling.

"No one does…" Naruto said defeated.

"So what is mental magic?"

"Magic such as, empathy, telekinesis, foresight, and other stuff. It is rare to have one of those magic's as a innate skill and not something you force upon yourself over years of practice"

"I could see the future?"

"Maybe I don't know which you are getting."

Sakura was silent for a moment, taking it in, she was going to have magical powers of the mind, and it made her special because it was rare, now she could help Naruto with fights somehow, she wouldn't be useless.

"Wow…ok ill gawk over that some more later. Now what is with your eyes?"

"Alright. Before I was born there was a group of magic wielders, I believe they were a warlock cult but not sure. They were constantly at struggle with the demons, and they were gaining no ground. So a young ass of the group name Namikaze Minato, he came up with an idea. He wouldn't tell them what it was but he went off and did it anyway. He took a new born baby and performed a magical spell upon the boy, for it had to be a new born otherwise the technique wouldn't take hold and the person's soul would reject the unfamiliarity. This spell made an eternal link from the boy to a demon by giving up his own life in the spell.

The link in a nut shell is a string starting at the heart of the boy, the string then wraps around every origin the boy has within his body then it travels up to the boys brain and enters his Chuushouteki World making a straight line right through it. The string then wraps around the mind of the metaphysical body on the other side of the world. Then down to the heart of the spirit body. The sting then makes a b-line to the heart of the spirit body of the demon. The string then wraps around the spirit heart and brain of the demon, then goes through his Chuushouteki World to his actual body, where it wraps around his brain, his origins and stops at the demons heart. Thus when the mortal human dies the immortal demon dies as well. The reason if you're wondering they don't just connect the hearts with a string in the physical world is because a heart of the human can die but the demon will live on for his body will adapt for no heart, or if you kill his body it will regrow because his spirit still lives. You have to make the body, mind, and soul die all together like it does for a mortal. Now the baby the Ass chose for this was me, and the demon he chose was the Kyūbi no Yōkō."

Sakura didn't know what to say, Naruto was forever connected to the most powerful of the demons, that meant if Naruto fought the demons and they killed the Kyubi somehow he would die. The shock didn't even wear off, even when Naruto continued.

"When I was still small people would constantly attack me and beat me up and bring me to death's door many times, trying to kill the demon. I found out eventually that when they would stab me and hit me, the reason I didn't die was because the wind protected me to a degree. When someone would try to hit me it would cushion the hit so it wouldn't be as bad, and such with knives and all. I found out later by my sensei that was the seraphim power protecting me.

When I was six an old Obaachan came looking around the town for The Seraphim thinking I would be there. When she found me she didn't realize what I was but still couldn't stand the way I was treated so she took me in and raised me for a few years.

Now to the reason my eyes did that. Well as you can imagine the Kyubi was upset with what was put upon him, in his eyes the curse of mortality. So he killed that whole group of warlocks. He also started to watch me, because who wouldn't watch the person their very life depended on. However he can't watch me all the time, like in this city, it has too many magical enchantments on it. However the seraphim arena doesn't that way we have free range to go nuts when we want. So when I heard the Tower of Gaia fell I got angry, and because we have a link we can feel each other's emotions, so when he felt I got angry he watched to see why, and when I repeated what Pein said he got angry as well for he didn't want it to fall either, and his range over powered my own and the side effect was the eyes you saw."

"Wow…" was all that Sakura was able to say.

"Bit much isn't it?"

"Little." Sakura took it all in. She couldnt bring herself to face Naruto, finding out she almost killed him over something that was forced on him as a baby when he had no ay, didnt sit to well with her. She she looked for anything to distract her. That brought her gaze to the picture on the wall of the beautiful red head.

"Is that the Obaachan who took you in when she was young?"

Naruto started to laugh.

"Are you kidding, that old hag isn't nearly that pretty. That is a picture of my late mother. Uzumaki Kushina."

"Your mother is breathtaking."

"Thanks."

"And your father, where was he, why didn't he stop Minato-san from doing that to you?"

"My father…my father is an ass."

Sakura knew to drop the subject their. No more words were said for a little while as Sakura took in the information presented to her. None of it changed her feeling for Naruto, in fact they were stronger now for here she had proven herself right, that when Naruto had the chance to speak for himself he would put all her doubts out of her head.

"Sakura-chan?"

"I am so sorry Naruto...I can't belive i almost..."

"Sakura-chan not one more word on the subject."

"Alright."

Sakura continued to lay by Naruto in silence. She soon found herself snuggling with him.

* * *

Temari was walking down the hallway of Naruto's house towards his room, she hadn't visited him yet and figured he could use the company. She was whistling to herself until she saw a man in a black and dark blue cloak standing just outside Naruto's door. 

"What are you doing there?" She asked.

"Oh just listening to my little birds tweeting to each other." He said.

"And why are you doing that?"

"To know when they are done so I can talk with Naruto while I escort him to The Council chamber, shouldn't you already be there Temari-san?"

The man said calmly and coolly as he removed the hood from the cloak to reveal black onyx eyes and blackish blue hair.

"I was on my way there in a moment Sasuke-san. I just figured I'd see Naruto before hand, but if he is with Sakura right now I'll come back."

She started to turn and walk away but said one final thing to Sasuke.

"Sasuke-san, don't get in Naruto's way." And she walked off.

Sasuke simply smiled at the comment.

* * *

Sakura looked back to Naruto after the silence and the cuddling. 

"Naruto I have decided, I want to know it all."

"Everything?"

"Everything."

"Fine every question you ask I will answer truthfully, and fully."

"Alright first then, what is your plan?"

"Could you specify more Sakura-chan, my plan, or The Council's plan?"

"There is a difference?"

"A big one." Naruto said as a smile came to his face.

"Ok…both."

"Well…"

* * *

Temari had left a good hour ago, and Sasuke could hear that the conversation was ending. 

"Time to get the dobe to the chamber."

He opened the door and entered.

* * *

"Naruto-kun, even after all that I want you to know that I…" Sakura was silenced as the door opened. 

"Yo Naruto." A man said walking in.

"Hey Sasuke!" Naruto shouted excitedly.

"Uchiha-san?"

"Haruno-san, I see that you haven't left the dobe yet."

"No she hasn't teme." Naruto responded.

"Well Naruto I am here to take you to The Council, seeing as you are well enough to be intimate you are well enough to walk."

"Fine..fine…" Naruto said as he slowly got up and put a shirt on.

"Naruto-kun…" Sakura said uncertainly.

"I would love for you to accompany me Sakura-chan."

Sasuke interjected at this.

"Naruto I have things to discuss with you."

"Don't worry she can hear it."

"You sure?"

"Yes."

"Alright then, lets go." Sasuke said.

Naruto extended his hand to Sakura.

"Me lady?"

"Of course." She said taking his hand and walking with him out the door.

* * *

Woot another chapter down initaly i intended it to be longer but this chapter was difficult so i cut i short, for some reason i wasnt inspired in this fight, all the others i could visualize the whole thing but this one i couldnt, was disheartening and made me make it crappy.

This chapter marked the 100 page mark in word, woot...again

Thank you for the reviews last chapter i didnt know how my readers would enjoy the suddenly much darker chapter, but it seems you took to it well enough.

So review if you enjoyed it enough to think it review wothy, if you dont review just thanks for reading


	13. P1:C12: I Have to Tell You

I dont own Naruto

_Thinking_

"Talking"

* * *

Chapter 12

"Sir…your…orders?" The voice that asked was slow, and could be taken as having some sort of mental problems.

"Yes sir, tell us what we need to do. And it better be fun." The voice that was psychotic asked hopefully

A third voice spoke, this one sounded feminine with an air of arrogance. "And it better not be boring."

All eyes were one the leader, and slowly an evil smile dawned his lips. And in his elegant sophisticated voice he said, "Burn it to the ground."

* * *

"And that is it Naruto, what do you think?" Sasuke asked looking to Naruto. 

"Not the middle." Naruto said after contemplating the story for a few moments.

"I figured as much, but what about…"

"That part leave in, I want to know their reaction, then I can gauge where to go from there."

"Right"

Naruto turned his attention to Sakura whose hand he was still holding. She was staring at her feet clearly deep in thought about something.

"Sakura-chan?"

Her head popped up and the first thing she saw was Naruto eyes, eyes that shown with such love within them for her that she was just amazed at how much capacity for the stuff he had. Also something else in them she couldn't pinpoint at first, then it hit her, it was worry; he was worried about her for being out of it.

"I'm fine." She said after a few moments.

"You sure? He isn't back is he?"

Sakura's eyes grew wide, that was the worry, it wasn't because she was thinking, for he was the one to tell her that her own thoughts were precious, it was he was afraid Zodiac somehow found his way back in before Naruto had a chance to try to seal her mind.

"No he isn't back, you would be the first to know if he was. I was just thinking."

Sasuke grew a small smile upon his lips, that no one noticed, while listening to the conversation.

"Oh ok then Sakura-chan. So did you hear what Sasuke and I discussed?"

She nodded her head slowly.

"Don't worry Naruto, you can trust me, after all I…"

Sasuke interjected at this point.

"We're here."

Naruto and Sakura both looked around not realizing they had made it all the way to the rock dome, with the waterfall entrance.

"Wow, we are sure fast walkers when we don't pay attention." Naruto said.

"Let's go Naruto, the meeting needs to start."

"K, one sec."

Naruto directed his attention back to Sakura.

"Sakura-chan, I am sorry but you can't come into the meeting, rules and shit. Sorry. But why don't you go explore the city, it is really cool. And then I will meet you back at the house and we can go out for a night on the town you will never forget."

Naruto said with a big grin.

"Ok Naruto but…"

"And don't fret Sakura-chan I trust you whole heartedly."

Sakura was about to open her mouth to say another thing, but her lips didn't get the opening for Naruto quickly planted a kiss on them then ran off towards Sasuke who already had the waterfall parted.

_Baka__ Naruto-kun, why couldn't you or __Uchiha__-san just let me say it.__ Naruto I love you too. Oh well I guess tonight is as good a time as any._

* * *

Naruto and Sasuke slowly made their way through a giant archway covered in different symbols and ancient words, signifying the entrance way to the seraphim council chamber. 

The room was glorious, a real testament to the world. The different enchantment on the room had all been set in place by the seraphim themselves, making sure everyone of them enjoyed the room, for this was the place all the planning and discussion would take place, it should be a pleasant place. They even brought little Gaara in for input, but most his suggestions weren't taken seriously for he still was only 8.

The ceiling of the chamber was enchanted with different types of weather and events. Sometimes the ceiling would be a clear day, while at times it could have falling pieces of rock and ash in it from an erupted volcano. But tonight it was a storm, the clouds were sinister while excreting a massive amount of water, and lightning. The lightning seemed chaotic striking places at random and doing it quite frequently, making a constant roar of thunder throughout the chamber.

The walls were a traveling canvass of the world, before its fall to the darkness. Currently the wall images were residing in a windy mountain range, and the strong wind made the storm clouds fly by so quickly, yet they still didn't end.

The table in the center was a pentagon, one chair at each side for each member. The table itself was made of a hard rock that Naruto could never identify, it had been custom made for the seraphim room. It had etchings and carvings of fierce battles and elements, and the demons. The table legs were each a different looking warrior of some kind. It was all to signify the seemingly never-ending struggle.

Everyone was present and accounted for. Pein, Itachi, Kakashi, and Temari were all there and sitting in their respected chairs. The last chair in the room was Naruto's.

"Naruto it is about time you got here." Kakashi said.

"Oh right I must take a tip on promptness from Kakashi."

"Couldn't hurt." Kakshi responded without even looking at him.

Naruto couldn't hold back his small laugh.

"Enough Naruto take your seat and we will begin." Itachi said coldly.

Naruto turned to Sasuke who was standing there just staring at his brother with contempt for stealing that chair from him. If you ever brought it up he would go on a rant of why he should have gotten the seraphim from Madara.

"Sasuke, please take my seat."

Sasuke made his way to the chair and sat down. All the while smirking at his brother just asking him for say something about him sitting there.

But it was Temari who protested.

"Naruto, why is Sasuke-san in your seat."

"Because since he will be telling us of what he learned as a start of the meeting I thought it appropriate that he sit to tell it. I will take my seat at his leave."

No one seemed to mind that explanation.

"Well than Sasuke-san, please give us your report on the mission we sent you on." Temari said.

"Okay then…"

* * *

For the past 30 minutes Sakura had seen some of the most fantastic structures and architecture she had ever witnessed. The incorporation of all the nature into the buildings, the trees seemed to grow into the buildings then the wood and nature would turn into a form of metal making steeples and spires. The center of the city was occupied by a great clock tower. It was formed of a willow tree of pure gold; the entirety of the trunk was surrounded by a spiral walk way up to the clock itself, which had black numerals upon its face to offset the gold. The numbers were elfish numbers so Sakura couldn't read them but it was easy to discern what time it was for the position of the numbers on its face. 

Everything was wonderful, but what had captured most of Sakura's attention during her short period of exploration were the lifts. The strange wooden cages that would lift a person to a higher level in the air all by the force of vines and ivy. The attendant who at the lifts decided to count how many times Sakura rode on them, he got up to 43 before she decided to move on to the market area of Coadunation.

The market place was active. Far more so then Sakura could have imagined. She had never really been in a city with a population over 400 hundred, let alone have twice that many in just the market square, most of them elves.

The venders were selling everything it seemed, fruits, meat, jewelry, odd and ends, everything she might have wanted was here.

Sakura was so wrapped in the hustle and bustle that she completely missed the old woman she ran into.

"oof." Came out of the elder ones mouth as she dropped the small bag she had been carrying.

"Oh I am so sorry miss." Sakura said to the woman.

"Good you had better be." The woman responded coldly.

"I was just trying to apologize; you don't have to be so mean."

"Yeah? Well you don't have to be such a little bitch!"

"Excuse me?!"

"You heard me."

"Fine I take it back, I am not sorry, AND I hope someone teaches you a lesson you old bitch!" Sakura said in a huff and walked the other way.

But something in her mind was nagging at her to keep an eye on the old woman.

The woman bent over and picked up her bag. She then proceeded to readjust her grey and blonde hair, while mumbling to herself. After everything seemed in order she started to walk into the crowd again. And Sakura followed the incredibly old woman out of curiosity.

Slowly the old woman started to gain speed, getting further and further away from Sakura's view.

_Does she know I'm following her?_

It was easy to miss but Sakura caught it. The old woman ducked down an alley way hidden between two very large trees.

As Sakura made it to the alley she had first planned on slowly peaking around the corner to but what she heard changed her mind.

"Ok grandma, give us what's in the bag and all your coins and you won't get hurt."

Some man said.

Sakura acted with very little thought. She might have been a stuck up bitch but she was still a defenseless old crow and so she needed help. Thus her legs made her jump around the corner to face the men.

"Leave her alone!"

* * *

"And what of the fifth pillar?" Kakashi asked seeming to not really care, but those who knew him could tell he was greatly interested in the current conversation. 

"Unfortunately the fifth pillar seems to be at the same structural integrity as the ninth pillar was before it shattered." Sasuke said in response.

"Any sighting's near it of the same kind of sabotage that took place at the Tower of Gaia?" Temari asked.

"No, I believe that They think it will break on its own soon so no reason to get near it."

"Ok well we will still need to watch that, seeing as They are close." Temari added again.

"That will be all Sasuke." Itachi said firmly to his brother. "The rest is seraphim business." It wasn't present in his voice, but Sasuke would surely see some sort of gloating in his brother's voice.

"Fine", Sasuke retorted while shooting up out of the chair and knocking it over.

Naruto proceeded to grab Sasuke into a powerful hug.

"Thank you so much for your help Sasuke!"

Sasuke smirked a little.

"Calm down Dobe and let me go. I might be hung if I'm kept here any longer."

Naruto let go of him while laughing at his friend's remark.

"Ok then, I will meet up with you later Teme."

Sasuke nodded and left the chamber.

"Naruto take your seat and we shall begin." Pein said as his first statement of the meeting.

Naruto complied rather quickly. Scooting close to the table Naruto looked over everyone, and began.

"So what should be done about Gaia?"

"Let it be, we have more important things to do then worry about an old busted monument." Was Itachi's response.

Naruto slammed his hand on the table at that.

"We can't just forget it! It is a magical beacon, without it the people of the northern territories might abandon hope! Also we can't just let the sister tower of Oranus fall to the waste side. Those two towers are gravely important."

Kakashi looked at Naruto, "Naruto…For the last time there are 3 towers."

"I will not accept the Chronus Tower as a part of the family as long as it remains a brothel!" Naruto said angrily.

"Let us worry about Chronus's circumstances later, for now back to Gaia." Temari said to try to calm Naruto back down.

"Right…I say we rebuild it." Naruto voicing his opinion.

"No." Pein said in a tone that said there was no arguing the point, but Naruto never could pick up on subtle voice tones.

"Why not?!"

"We don't have the resources or the man power to rebuild a magical tower. Also the towers might be a beacon as you called them but the pillars are far more important."

Naruto couldn't argue that point, it was solid. He just couldn't accept that something else of the great past has been thrown to the waste side because of the demons threat. Wasn't anything going to stand?

Temari saw the pain in her dear friend's eyes.

"Naruto, I know you love the past, but we can't define the future on it." Naruto's eyes were downcast, for he knew it was all true. "But I do believe a monument of such importance as the towers should be preserved, so what if we sent a small team there to gather up artifacts from the tower and then if and when the pillars problem is worked out, we can start to rebuild it?"

Naruto's face lit up.

"That would be great!"

Temari turned to the unofficial head of the group.

"Pein, any objections?"

"No, a small operation such as that is fine, and I will insert one of my agents into the excavation party to try to root out any information on Them."

Itachi nodded, "Sounds like it will do, now on to the next topic…"

* * *

Sakura was being stared down by 2 full grown men, and 1 male elf, taking her in. What they saw was a scrawny teenage girl who wanted to be a Good Samaritan but got in over her head. So now they would just have to ruff her up and get her money and belongings also. 

"What did you say girl?" The one who was holding the old woman with a knife to her throat ask Sakura at her declaration.

"I said leave her alone!"

"Ok so you did say it, I had thought for sure it was my imagination but whatever. And in answer to your request…No."

Sakura tried to make the most stern and fear inspiring face she could at the man but it didn't seem to be working. His dirty brown eyes didn't seem to be intimidated by a girl with no fighting spirit.

"What might your name be girl? That way we know what to tell the authorities when we happen to find a girl dead in the alleyway." The one holding a knife asked Sakura, while the other two chuckled a little bit.

Sakura didn't pay attention to the question, for she was looking at the woman. She didn't seem to be struggling at all with the men. She wasn't even protesting these people mugging her, it was strange.

"Girl? You hear me?"

Sakura drew her attention back to the men, seeing as they were the primary threat of the moment.

"No."

"What how dare you show us such disrespect…" Then man stopped talking as he watched as the other human of the three was just floored to the ground by a punch straight to the side of the face.

Sakura had learned some tactics to a fight from watching Naruto a lot. First, is if the enemy just keeps talking, it is perfectly alright to just attack and make them shut up, especially if they start a monologue. Second is that it can be a bad move to attack the head person first off, for there is usually a reason they lead the others and they might keep going after the initial surprise attack, so it's better to take out a underling first that way the odds are more in your favor. So Sakura utilized both those things by attack the non elf henchman like person while the leader was talking about disrespect. She threw all the power she could muster into her fist, and from what Naruto had told her, her punches hurt like hell and that was without her trying to make it hurt too much.

"Dude, get up." The man with the knife said to the now unconscious other. After a few seconds it became clear that this man was not getting up.

"Alright, it seems the pink haired whore has some power behind her. Well let's see how you do against an elf!" The man then motioned for his elf companion to deal with her as he still stood there holding the old blonde woman.

The elf slowly walked towards Sakura.

"Be a nice little girl and don't squirm."

"Be a nice little elf and make me some toys." Sakura knew she shouldn't have said it, but it just came out. And apparently elves took offense to that. For his face got contorted and started to look extremely mad.

He didn't say a word to signify his anger. He just descended upon Sakura quick as an elf she assumed, for that was far faster than any normal human. He decided to get her by the throat and lift her into the air.

Sakura started the thrash against him, but he had a powerful grip on her throat.

"That is right girl squirm, where is your wicked tongue now? What are you going to do? No one will come save you as you tried to do for this old woman."

Sakura was struggling to keep from suffocating due to his tight grip. Sakura knew she had to do something, so she did the only thing that came to mind; hoping male elf anatomy was the same as human.

She brought her leg back then reamed it forward into his genitals.

The man quickly let her go and fell to the ground clutching his crotch in pain.

Sakura then turned her attention the man still there with a knife.

"Next." Sakura said, feeling proud for herself.

The man let go of the old woman and focused all his attention on Sakura.

"You little wench. Now you will feel pain!" The man got ready to charge, but was stopped when he felt two hands on the sides of his head.

In a blink his neck was snapped and his body fell limp to the ground.

"Never take your attention away from any opponent, even a decrepit old woman."

Sakura was in awe, without any hesitation that old crone just killed that man, and she did it so fluidly.

"So you were following me, and you couldn't help but get yourself involved could you girl?" The woman asked.

"No…"

The woman quickly walked over to Sakura and started to poke and prod her, she raised her arms and felt her muscles, the whole time making Sakura very uncomfortable.

"Excuse me? What are you doing, and won't you get in trouble for killing that man?"

"Don't worry I won't get in trouble."

"Ok then what are you doing?"

The woman quickly stopped and looked at Sakura.

"Hmmm, it could do…"

"What?"

The old lady again didn't answer but instead grabbed Sakura by the hand and started to drag her down the alleyway out onto another street.

"Um where are you taking me?"

"You ask a lot of question, you know that?"

"Well a strange lady is dragging me through a town I am not familiar with. Cause for question, don't you think?"

"Shush."

Sakura decided the best thing for her at the moment would be to listen to this woman's orders.

After about 5 minutes of being dragged, they stopped.

"We are here."

Sakura looked at this building they had been brought to. It was very basic, no sign, no fancy elfish decoration, just a plane generic building, possibly a house.

"And where is here?"

"Shush."

_K?_

The woman dragged her into the building, and a bell went off, so that meant it definitely wasn't a house. A feminine voice came out of a back room.

"I'll be right with you. I am just finishing up something."

"Tenten get out here now please." The woman said demandingly yet she still said please like she was giving the woman a choice.

"Oh my Kami! No way is it you!"

The girl discernable to Sakura as Tenten came to the door way. She was girl that looked to maybe a little older than Sakura. Her ears gave off the air of an elf for they were pointed. And her hair brown and up in two buns one on each hemisphere of her head. She was also wearing a heavy apron covered in some black stuff.

"I can't believe you are actually here Tsunada-hime." Tenten said to the old woman.

"HIME?! This old crow is a princess?!"

The old woman let go of her hand and smiled at Sakura.

"Bet your ass I am, and please don't call me a crow."

With a wave of her hand, she suddenly looked 30 years younger, she seemed to get taller for she wasn't hunched over anymore, her breast perked up and became the biggest pair Sakura had ever seen, and her grey hair all became blonde.

Now in front of Sakura was a beautiful 30 year old princess.

_What did I get myself into?_

* * *

"Are we settled on what to do about Castle Invidia?" Temari asked the group. 

"Of course!" Naruto chimed in with his two cents loudly.

"Good, onto the next order of business."

"The pillar at Superbia?" Naruto asked expecting them to want to see the notes Sakura had taken, which he conveniently forgot to get from her.

"No, Haruno Sakura is the next topic." Itachi replied.

"What about her?!" Naruto asked fairly angrily.

_What do these guys want to know about my girlfriend…wait is she my girlfriend now? Hmmm, I might need to discuss that with her before I start to proclaim it._

"She seemed like a sweet girl, and cute." Kakashi said while staring at the ceiling.

"Yes, she is also smart, athletic, easy to get along with, she already has a great relationship with Hinata-dono. And she can keep Naruto in line." Temari said while giggling a little.

"I don't think my friends are any of you people's business. But yes you did name some good points also she is beautiful, wise, caring, compassionate, has a great yearning to help others, a developing mage."

"Is she good in bed Naruto?" Kakashi asked leisurely but was obviously interested because it was a perverted topic.

"A man doesn't kiss and tell." Naruto said with a grin trying to look as cool as possible.

"In other words, their relationship isn't that far yet." Kakashi said.

"Well at least mine might get there! Unlike you Kakashi, whom all women flee when they find out the depths of your perversion!"

"Not all…" Kakashi whispered out dejectedly.

"Enough." Pein ordered. And that meant, shut up and get on with it.

"Naruto the reason why we brought up the topic is because of your connection to her, and to evaluate what could come of it." Temari said as nicely as she could.

"Evaluate? What is there to evaluate?"

"Your power." Itachi taking control of this conversation.

"You demonstrated incredible power in out brawl, power you usually don't put forth in those kinds of fights. Granted Kakashi and I weren't going all out but still you took us down good and hard, when just before that you would struggle against just Kakashi and his is the weaker element of you two. That being said, all for that sake of Haruno-san being there you fought with a fire you haven't previously displayed in excess. So that would bring into question, how power you could become if you were protecting her very life."

"So this is all too just say good job, and that I will be allowed to continue traveling with her, so you guys can gauge my progress?"

Pein spoke "The opposite." Then nodded to Itachi to continue.

"With the connection you have to her, you power soars but what if that connection was severed by her loss of life…"

"Or betraying you in some form…" Pein said while leaving that last part just hanging in the air.

Itachi continued. "Your powers might take the opposite effect and dwindle, and you will lose all fighting abilities and become a liability over an asset. Thus we are forbidding you from continuing to do your duties with her present."

Naruto stood up knocking over his chair in anger. The emotion raging on his face.

"How dare you FORBID me to do anything! If not for me this group wouldn't exist, so how dare you… I will not stop seeing Sakura-chan, I love her! I will not be FORBIDDEN from seeing the woman I love!"

Naruto turned and almost stormed out the door at that, but was stopped by a hand grabbing his wrist.

He looked to its source and saw Temari's eyes; they were bleeding with him to calm down.

_Heh__, she never does like to see me mad._

"Yes Temari?" He asked as calmly as possible.

"That isn't what we meant."

"What?"

Kakahi nodded, "Yeah Naruto learn to calm down, your anger is your worse trait, especially when we know you being mad attracts attention from Kyubi."

"Then what is it?" Naruto asked now a bit confused.

Itachi began again. "Naruto I didn't say you had to stop seeing her. We already established that your link was good. Just don't take her with you on your travels. Leave her here where it is safe. Then when you come back for visits and council stuff, by all means smother her with your unique brand of love. If you took her, she has a high probability of dying, and that would be terrible for you."

Naruto walked back to his chair and sat down.

"Maybe…that is a good idea…but maybe not…I will have to think about it."

"What kind of Mage?" Kakashi asked out of curiosity.

Naruto shook his head to try to clear it. "What?"

"You said she was a developing mage, what kind of power is she developing?"

"Mental Magics."

"Really? That is pretty impressive. How did you discover it?"

Naruto took a deep breath and began to tell the story of Sakura's torment, of course omitting a lot not to incriminate her in an attempted murder.

"Impressive." Was all that Kakshi had to say.

Pein leaned back in his chair, folded his hands together, and stared at Naruto. Naruto knew that he knew something, and that look on his face confirmed it. Naruto never did like being the thing Pein held in his gaze, it was worse in Naruto's opinion then looking into Kyubi's eyes.

"Ok Naruto, now to Superbia Castle." Temari said with a smile.

"Um…right…heh." Naruto scratched the back of his head nervously.

* * *

Sakura couldn't believe or understand what she had just seen. An old woman just magically transformed into a beautiful princess. Sakura was sure even that wasn't possible. 

"Tsunada-hime, what brings you here?" Asked TenTen.

"Well see that little girl there?" Tsunada asked pointing to Sakura.

"Hey I am not…"

"Yes." Tenten responded not even paying attention to Sakura.

"Well that girl, sort of saved me from some bandits."

Tenten started to laugh hysterically.

"Don't…Don't….Don't joke Tsunada-hime, someone saved YOU? YOU needed saving?" Tenten recommenced her laughing.

"Well I didn't need it; she just showed up and did it."

Tenten slowly recomposed herself. Wiping a tear from her eye. "Oh just too damn funny. Heh. Ok I am good now. So what about you being…saved…"

Sakura could see her restraining from laughing again.

"Well I examined her and I think she deserves a weapon."

_WHAT!?_

"Hmm, any particular?"

"No that is your call, you are the best blacksmith/weapons expert in all of Coadunation."

"Of course I am." Tenten said flaunting her superiority.

Tenten came up to Sakura and started to poke and prod her, and examine her all as Tsunada had done.

"Well she has excellent bone structure…good muscle mass…Yes I think I can work with this."

Sakura finally found her voice in all of this.

"Don't I get a say in this?"

"No." Tsunada just shot her down.

"But I have forgotten one thing, girl what is your name?"

It had completely slipped Sakura's mind that she hadn't gotten her name out there.

"Haruno Sakura, a pleasure to meet you…I guess."

Tsunada nodded and started to pay attention to Tenten again who was still examining Sakura, and was now at her butt, which was terribly awkward.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Sakura asked to Tsunada.

"You already know my name, unless you are an idiot."

"It is still polite!"

"Ha polite is for little girls."

_God she acts like Naruto!_

Tenten shot up right in front of Sakura's face.

"Well Sakura-san, please let me see your hand."

Sakura offered it hesitantly.

Tenten examined it closely.

"I HAVE IT!" She yelled excitedly.

"Have what?" Sakura asked expecting a response.

Tenten was almost to her backroom door, but stopped and turned around.

"Why which weapon you would be perfect to wield silly." Tenten then stuck her tongue out at Sakura playfully, and ran into the room.

Sakura could tell she could get along with Tenten rather well, but this Tsunada person was different.

"So, have a boyfriend?" Tsunada asked out of the blue.

"Um…I don't know…"

"That means no, ok and where you from?"

"Oh…well…"

"Ruff subject alright, what brings you here?"

"A person I guess."

"I gotta say you are a terrible small talker. It will be boring as hell to train you.""What?"

Tenten popped back into the room at that.

"BACK!"

"And here it is, a master piece in design, and it fits your personality to a tee."

Tenten held up her hands and in them was a giant metal ring. It was a beautiful design, clearly made by elves. The outer edge was a rather dull looking edge, while the inner edge looked like an elaborate pattern of ivy and flowers.

"What is it?" Sakura asked while inspecting her supposed new weapon.

"It is a ring blade." Tenten responded cheerfully.

"Here hold it see how it feels."

The ring was handed to Sakura and it was big. She held it at her neck and the other edge went down to mid thigh level on her. It was strange to hold giving the feeling that it was not something she wanted to hold, but at the same time something she did want to hang on to.

"Is the blade part always going to be dull to touch?"

"For now it is?" Tenten said off handedly.

"What?"

"There is magic in the blade so as of right now it is dull for everyone, but when it bonds, I guess is the right term, with the person who uses it, the ring will become razor sharp for all but that person." Tenten said triumphantly.

"IT is a master piece I created. I don't like to brag but that is the best ring blade in the world right now."

"K…Why does it fit my personality?'

"Because you are a complete circle yourself."

Sakura stared at Tenten wanting an explanation.

"You incorporate almost everything, all the gamete of emotions and you can sporadically change between them, you have light and dark in you, you will incorporate the physical and mental in a battle. You have it all."

Sakura had never thought of herself as a complete circle, but the way Tenten said it made it sound right.

"So Sakura, does it feel good, think you can learn to use it?"

Sakura looked to Tsunada.

"Yes I think I can, but about that training thing you were talking about."

"Say no more, I know you are grateful, but doubt yourself, but don't I will turn you into a great female warrior. Also I know this knuckle head warrior; I think you might be perfect for him."

"See that is the thing, I don't want to go, I might already…"

"Nonsense." Tsunada said smiling.

_Wow this woman just can't take a hint._

* * *

"Hinata-sama, are you doing alright?" 

"Oh yes Neji-oniichan, I am just tired, it was a late night."

"I undertand." And Neji did understand, he knew Hinata better than almost anyone, except maybe her sister and about on par with Naruto. She was up all night thinking of Naruto and her meeting.

_She can't get over the fact Naruto-__sama__ never loved her like she wanted him to, and now he has found that love__ in another__. But still that fight she witness__ed__ has almost energized her in the opposite direction that the heart break did, what could have happened during it to do that even after 3 days later?_

"You really should let your men watch one of their fights. It might inspire them."

"With all due respect Hinata-sama, my men would be disheartened at the sight of the raw power of the seraphim. It would be too big a hit to their confidence."

"Ok ok you are the general."

About that time the doors to the main hall were flung open by a younger girl around the age of 13 running as fast as she could go.

"HINATA-ONEECHAN!"

The girl ran up to the throne and almost collapsed from exhaustion. And the whole of the room got quite, even all the stuck up nobles shut it.

"Hanabi-neechan, what is it?" Hinata asked with worry abound.

"A messenger bird….from…"

"Take your time Hanabi-hime." Neji said.

After a few moment Hanabi had caught her breath.

"You alright now?" Hinata asked, and Hanabi nodded "Ok then Neechan, please what about a bird?"

"A messenger bird was flown in from the furthest outpost we have, or had I guess I should say."

"What?"

"The message was that the last surviving person of the base sent it, and that it had been attacked by a demon! It was completely decimated, and the route it was heading was in this direction."

"A DEMON!?" Neji yelled "That can't be!"

"Neji-oniichan please, calm down, I will check."

The room grew quite as all of the present courts eyes feel to Hinata.

"Byakugan" Hinata said quietly.

Slowly her face's veins perturbed from her skin very apparently around her eyes, and the white spheres themselves grew faint circles in the center.

No one spoke a word for a moment, and then Neji was heard.

"See anything?"

Hinata huffed, "No, I need to extend my range."

She lifted her hand a branch from the living castle came down to her. Hinata placed her hand on the branch, and whispered.

"Please oh great tree, extended my vision to the children on your other islands to let me see the threat."

Hinata grew quite as a small light came from her hand then receded.

Again no one talked, not even Neji, they would wait for the princess to say something.

Hinata slowly drew her hand away and faced the court while deactivating her eyes.

"Neji-oniichan…"

"Yes?"

"Light the evacuation fires; I want this castle fully evacuated in 5 minutes."

"Why?"

"I SAID NOW!"

"R..Right. Hanabi, you heard your sister, get those fires burning."

"Um…right." Hanabi was off as fast as she could to inform the guards to get them lit.

"Ok Hinata, the fires are about to be lit, tell me before anything else happens, what did you see?"

Hinata took in a breath. "Demons."

"The Sanbi, that idiot, he is finally trying to attack us. But don't worry our army is trained for this, also we have the seraphim here, I am sure we can all keep that moron at bay."

"No, you didn't hear me. I said demonS."

Neji's face suddenly dropped as he looked at Hinata to confirm what she had just said twice. And she complied with a slow nod.

"How…How…"

"3 of them. The Sanbi, Ichibi if the description Temari gave us was right, and 1 I am not sure of."

"Oh fuck…"

* * *

A panic had filled the streets, every citizen and refuge had been given info on the fires. When they were lit through the city it meant evacuation. The only safe escape route was into the cliffs and out on boats in a secret cave lake. And everyone was making a mad dash for them. 

The commotion was even reaching Tenten's shop.

"Listen Tsunada, don't think I am ungrateful of your offer but…"

The door was bust open cutting Sakura off.

_Damnit__! Can't I ever say anything around here!_

"Tenten, come on we gotta go!"

Tenten was up and talking to the person who barged in before Sakura had a chance to get a look at them.

"Ok then, as I was saying Tsunada, it is that…"

"Tsunada-hime!"

_SHIT!_

"Tenten?"

"We do need to leave."

"Why?"

"The lights are lit. Demons are on the way, we must evacuate."

"Demons? Here?"

"Yes my lady, we must go."

"Right, Sakura, follow."

Sakura picked up her new ring, and went to the door with the 2 woman, but when they started to head in one direction Sakura ran off in the other.

"Sakura!"

"I must get back to the house; he will be waiting for me there!"

"Damn girl…heh." Tsunada turned to face Tenten.

"Go ahead, I will get Sakura, if we don't make it in time, don't wait. Understood?"

"Yes Tsunada-hime, good luck."

"Don't say that, you know my luck."

"Heh…right."

* * *

A knock came to the door of the seraphim chamber. 

"Come." Said Pein.

A lady with blue hair and a paper flower in her hair walked in.

"Pein-sama and fellow members since you can't witness the outside it is my duty to inform you that the evacuation fires are lit. And we got a hawk from the castle. Apparently 3 Demons are coming, the Ichibi no Shukaku, the Sanbi, and an unidentified demon, that Hinata assumed you could identify if seen."

"That will be all Konan." Pein told his subordinate.

"Yes Pein-sama." The woman exited leaving the seraphim again to their business.

"Damn 3 demons, that is going to be hell." Kakashi said.

Temari seemed nervous and spoke up.

"Guys I can't help."

"What?" Naruto asked confused.

"Listen I am not at any sort of level near a demon, hell I don't even have you guys level of power. I said I could help if it was us 5 on one, I am confident enough in my skills to help there, but 3 on 5, I can't do those odds. Also I have to protect Gaara, I lost Kankuro, I can't loss Gaara as well."

"Understood Temari, you go be with Gaara, keep him safe." Naruto said.

"Yes, we will need his earth later." Itachi added.

Naruto shot him a death glare.

"This isn't about the seraphim, it is about a poor little boy who cannot be alone in this world. He needs his sister. So Temari, go now get Gaara and evacuate."

Tears came to Temari's eyes, she was always amazed at Naruto's kindness, even though it was easy to figure out, Gaara was like a little brother to Naruto also, and he would never want him hurt.

Temari hugged Naruto quickly, gave a short goodbye and was off.

"Ok here is the plan, Naruto take the Sanbi, Itachi and Kakashi the Ichibi, and I shall take the other."

"Why do I have to take the idiot?" Naruto asked disappointed.

"For that reason, he is dumb, thus even though his power is greater than Ichibi he will be less knowledgeable on how to use it."

"Fine…" Naruto looked down at the seraphim table; he gently traced his fingers on the table. Knowing this might the last time he was ever at it.

"If all the citizen's are evacuated. What do we do?"

"Keep fighting, we can't let the city fall!" Naruto said to Kakashi.

"I will admit Naruto; I am not as attached to this city as you are so as long as the people are safe I might stop."

"Lazy ass…"

"Naruto is right, we can't let the city fall easy." Itachi added.

"FINE, Kami 2 on 1, give a guy a break. Ok if the city falls, what do we do?"

All eyes turned to Pein, expecting him to answer.

"We lay low for a little while, and then meet up at the other spot."

"Right." The 3 other Serpahim in unison.

Naruto stood up from his chair first.

"Well if you will excuse me, I have a person I need to check on and make sure gets out ok. If any of us happen to fall during this fight let me just say… It was an honor and a privilege getting to know you all, Kakashi you are a lazy tardy pervert, Itachi you are an arrogant prideful glutton, and Pein…well Pein you are just an asshole."

Itachi half expected Pein to kill Naruto, but he did something foreign he let out a small chuckle.

"Same to you Naruto." Was his response.

Naruto nodded and headed for the door.

* * *

Naruto was running as fast as he could towards his house, he had to see if Sakura was there, or if Hige had gotten her out and to the ships. 

_Be safe Sakura-chan._

Naruto saw his house coming into view.

_Almost….there…_

Naruto practically kicked his own door off its hinges.

"SAKURA-CHAN! ARE YOU HERE!?"

After a few seconds of no answer, Naruto was fairly confident, but had to make sure, so he did a once through of the house. Quickly checking every room.

"Ok she isn't here. Thanks Hige."

Naruto got to the main living room, when he was stopped by the very ground shaking.

"Wooh…I guess that is my que."

Naruto ran out of his toward his battle.

* * *

"Sanbi? Sanbi? Here boy." 

Naruto was suddenly hit in the face by a ball of fur.

"Oof."Naruto fell backwards from the impact.

"What the hell?!"

Naruto looked down at the fur ball that was now in his lap.

"Kurama?! You dumb fox! When I call you, you never show up, but here I call a demon, and you do…I don't get you."

The fox looked up at Naruto with a look of that his didn't mean to find him, it was coincidental.

"Ok you don't want to be here at the moment, fine. Go find Sakura-chan, she should be near the evacuation boats."

The fox quickly shot out of Naruto lap and ran off.

"Damn thing did always like Sakura-chan better. Ok back to looking for the Sanbi."

A voice came over the wind.

"Oh come one Naruto don't you want to fight me again?" Then it started to laugh.

"I know that psychotic laugh anywhere." A smile came to Naruto's face. "And yes, you are whom I want to fight."

A burst of sand shot at Naruto from through a building, and with his wind it was easily deflected.

"Finally, I will fight the real you!" Ichibi shouted.

"Hope you like what you find."

* * *

"Hinata-sama, the castle is totally empty now, it is just you. Please we must go." 

"No…I must stay till the city is evacuated also, as their princess…"

"Hinata…" Neji looked down.

"You didn't call me sama, where are your manners Neji-oniichan?"

"Listen Hinata…"

"I must stay…"

"Well then I will go get his item and stay with you." Neji ran down the halls away from his princess.

"Neji…arigato."

* * *

Naruto was being bombarded from every direction, the simple wind blast were not cutting it. So he drew his swords. 

"I'll make this fun Naruto." Ichibi suddenly shrunk down to Naruto's height and his arms started to move fast and hit their marks.

Naruto was thrown back into a building behind him. That didn't stop him though, he used wind enhanced speed to drive straight forward to try to gut him. Ichibi saw it coming easily and shot his arm forward to intercept the blow and knock Naruto down.

_Shit! Dodge it!_

Naruto increased the pressure on just his body to force himself lower to the ground to just miss the arm. Ichibi's arm then came crashing down, and Naruto went up to counter.

"What can you do in the air but fall right back to me?"

Ichibi shot his other arm up at Naruto.

Naruto dodge in the air and began to descend. He flew around Ichibi's arm in spiral down pattern shoving his swords into the arm, hoping to do some sort of damage.

Naruto landed and quickly shot himself away from his enemy, for there was sand all around him and sand spikes shot out of the ground when he hit it.

"I missed damn!"

"Is your arm hurt?" Naruto asked with a wicked smile, knowing full well the answer.

"Oh this one?" Ichibi held up the arm Naruto had attacked. And it had no signs of injury.

"No it isn't, but I think your swords are."

Naruto's eyes grew big as he examined his once proud weapons; the blades were no longer existent apparently whittled away at the skin of the beast.

"Naruto you fool, that won't cut me."

_He's right…Damn it I __gotta__ get all the way to the castle…Come on luck…_

Naruto jumped into the air and flew and hard as he could toward the cities living castle.

"Where you running, why not use the wind? Heh, you're scared for your life, so you are abandoning everyone, fine, that won't stop me from chasing you."

Shukaku returned to his normal size and chased after Naruto with speed that shouldn't be possible for something that large.

* * *

Itachi and Kakashi were running side by side through the city streets. 

"Damn, where is Ichibi. You know it is times like this I wish I was Naruto, use that air current flight power of his." Kakshi said while sighing.

"Yeah, that would be handy. But Kakashi why don't you use that electricity run of your, that is way faster than flight?"

"Because that tires me out far too much, and if we have to fight the Ichibi I can't waste any energy."

"Fair enough."

On the horizon the duo saw the blue back of 1 tailed beast, but it wasn't the one they were looking for.

The Sanbi looked up from the carnage he was inflicting on the city to look at the presence he had felt enter the area.

"Who…are…you…two?"

_Where is Naruto, he I supposed to be dealing with this __guy?_ Was all running through both of their minds.

"Hey blue? Where is your one tailed friend?" Kakashi yelled as loud as he could to the slow monster.

"He…is…battling…Kyubi-sama's…link"

"Shit!" Kakahi yelled.

"Naruto fighting Ichibi, we have to help him."

"I don't think we will get the chance." Itachi replied trying to pull Kakashi's attention back to current situation.

The Sanbi was getting up, and for an idiot leviathan it was still very intimidating.

"Others…already…have…playmates…why…can't …I?"

One tail of the turtle was making its way behind Kakashi unseen by him. But Itachi saw it and was going to warn his partner, until he too was hit by a tail, and both went careening into separate buildings.

Kakashi was the first to get out. "Well I guess we have our fight then."

Itachi followed. "Right."

* * *

Pein stood still in the cool night air. He didn't want to do this but had no choice. 

The beast was stalking him, and he knew it.

"You can come out, I know you are there Nibi no Nekomata."

A purring was heard as a giant purple cat with two tails came out from the shadows.

"Oh Pein-kun, you didn't have to be so rude. After all this time that I how you treat me?"

"Yes."

"Well you always were a man of few words. So you are the one I have to beat in order to fulfill Kyubi-kun's wishes?"

"Yes."

"You know, you might have more girls if you vocalized a bit more."

Pein didn't respond to the banter, he just stared down The Nibi with his grey eyes.

"Pein-kun, if you don't look at me like that, I will change into the form you prefer."

His gaze never faltered.

"Fine."

The Nibi was engulfed in giant flames. As they receded the giant cat was gone, and in its wake was a beautiful woman. She had purple hair with patches of yellow and red, with cat ears at the top of her head. He eyes were completely black with white slits. She was wearing an elaborate ball gown, also purple. Her hands were claw like, and out of her backside were 2 tails. They curled themselves together. The Nibi then purred toward Pein.

"You always liked purple."

Pein held his gaze.

"Che…"

The Nibi had enough and attacked. The hit was in the gut and it was hard. So hard that it made Pein buckle over in pain. Before he hit the ground though a knee was placed under his falling chin and he was catapulted into the air. Then Nibi followed in pursuit. She came above him and with her fists clenched together slammed them into his back making him fall back toward the ground.

Nibi softly landed on her feet, and then examining her claws to making sure they weren't broken looked to the new crater.

"Is that all to the mighty Pein-kun?"

A few stray puddles of water formed behind her and a punch hit her square in the jaw. The water turned into Pein.

"No."

* * *

Naruto was flying with all the force he could muster to get there before the demon. 

_Just a bit…THERE!_

Naruto was going too fast and crashed into a window of the castle, then hitting the floor and tumbling forward.

"Naruto-kun?"

_Oh no, not here why are you still here?_

Naruto looked up, and low in behold he was right, there was the princess Hinata still in her castle.

"You fool, what are you still doing here?!" Naruto was mad, but not so much at her, but at himself for bringing danger to her.

"I couldn't leave yet…I had to make sure you were alright…"

"Hinata…"

"Also she wanted to make sure you got this." Neji said walking out from wherever he had been hiding.

Neji offered the package to Naruto.

"Is it?"

"Yes. Kongouseki Torune-do. Your new sword."

Naruto took it in for as long as he thought time would permit. This sword was fabulous, crafted by elves out of pure diamond, the hardest substance known in the world. The edge was sharp enough to cut a hair in half with a simple swing, and the marking and the handle were exquisite etchings of the wind. If this sword didn't work, not much else would.

"Thank you Neji."

"Naruto-sama…" Naruto raised his hand to cut him off, and Neji corrected himself.

"Naruto, you are most welcome."

"Naruto-kun…"

"And thank you also Hinata."

Hinata couldn't hold herself back, even if he was taken. She ran forward and latched onto Naruto in a tight hug. And much to her enjoyment he returned it. But the happy moment didn't last. For the roof was taken off of the castle by Ichibi.

"Hinata get behind me, and you won't get hurt."

"Naruto-kun…"

"Naruto, I don't think you have a say in the matter!" The Ichibi yelled. It reached his hand down about to pick up Hinata and use her as leverage in the battle, but suddenly rain began to fall distracting Ichibi long enough for Naruto to throw Hinata into Neji's arms and push them away with the wind.

"Neji get her out of here!"

"But Naruto-kun, I want…"

"NOW!"

"Right Naruto." Neji took Hinata bridal style and ran towards the evacuation point.

_I will have to thank __Pein__ later._

Ichibi returned his view to Naruto to find the young man right in front of his face, wielding a gleaming new sword. Naruto sliced and cut straight through Ichibi's face with the augmentation of the wind with the sword.

_Yes! __Tenten__ was able to incorporate magical uses!_

Ichibi's head quickly reformed and as retaliation he shot millions of rocks at Naruto.

There was nowhere for him to run and too many to cut, so his only option was to take the hit head on. And it hurt more than he expected and he fell towards the ground. But instead of hitting it he flew at Ichibi's feet, and when he was about to cut them it's face grew out of his knee to great Naruto, with its mouth wide, shooting a ball of sand and air at him. Naruto was able to manipulate the wind out of the attack, but got himself covered in sand.

"Now you are mine!" The sand all over him formed little daggers and drove themselves into him on all different parts of his body.

"I might not be able to kill you, but at least I can take you out of the commission for quite a while!"

* * *

Sakura was running as fast as she could, she had to make it in time to see Naruto again. She knew he would try to fight, but she had to let him know how she felt before it was too late. But that damn Tsunada was behind her. 

"Sakura!"

"No I Must See Him!"

_Damn to bad Naruto, I thought you might have liked this girl, but apparently her heart is with another._

A ceiling came falling down about to hit Sakura, but she was saved by Tsunada.

"Damn it girl! You are going to get us both killed!"

Sakura looked down sadly.

"Don't you think this guy is evacuated? I mean he is probably waiting for you there."

"No, he isn't."

"Well then you are better off if he isn't willing to wait."

"He can't wait, he has to fight!"

"What?"

"I have to tell him something, before something terrible happens!"

"What?"

"I…I have to tell him…I love him…"

Tsunada sighed in defeat.

"Fine…which way?"

"That way!" Sakura started to run in the way she had pointed.

_Damn young love!_

* * *

"So he brought out the rain?" Itachi said knowing the answer. 

"Yeah well that gives me an advantage, if this beast is soaking wet it will hurt more."

"Yeah but you idiot, it doesn't help me! Also he is a water type himself he is already wet."

"Oh right…"

A large tail came crashing down on the two of them while they were arguing, crushing Kakashi's right arm, and a large stream of water hit Itachi square in the chest.

"Itachi!" Kakashi yelled, ignoring his own pain.

Black fire shot up from the area Itachi had hit. The fire was burning everything even the water.

"What Kakashi?"

"Oh nothing…"

Itachi slowly walked toward the Sanbi, the black fire going everywhere.

"Let us make it more interesting."

"Yes…let's… do…it" The Sanbi replied.

* * *

Naruto was slowly trudging towards his opponent. He was beaten and bruised, and knew the only thing keeping himself alive was the order to keep him alive. 

The Ichibi had returned to the size of a man, to taunt Naruto.

"Where is the real you? I heard from Kyubi-sama that the latest fight you had with the other seraphim was far more exciting, you were tougher, and showed much more resilience. What happened?"

"I didn't play with them."

"And you are with me?"

"Bet your bippy."

"Let us see!"

Ichibi once again launched large rocks at Naruto, but not near the number he did when large.

With a simple wave of Naruto's hand, the rocks stopped and flew back at Ichibi, who easily dodged.

Naruto continued to trudge forward.

"Ok try this!" Ichibi shot his hand forward, covering it in spikes. Naruto once again waved his hand before the arm hit him and it was cut in half.

"Ichibi, I stopped messing around you should also. I mean do something different."

Ichibi's eyes were growing mad.

"Fine, I will go up to 30 percent of my power, and use those abilities! Even if that is far over kill!"

"K…"

Ichibi slowly turned his arm into a blade and fused his huge tail with his other hand.

He charged swinging his tail, Naruto blocked with his sword.

"That sword will break, you know that!"

"Not this one, it's made of adamant."

Ichibi thrust his other hand forward at Naruto, who replied by throwing his own hand out using a wind gust as a counter. The two stayed like that for a moment, until Ichibi started to smile his wicked smile.

"Trapped."

He jumped away and Naruto found himself sealed in a giant ball of rock.

"Ha!" The ball flattened like a pancake crushing all its contents.

"Oh no I over did it? Kyubi-sama will be dead? Darn…oh well I guess I'll be in control."

"Yeah I am sure you will." Naruto replied as he drove his sword straight through the Ichibi's stomach.

"You fool, that won't do anything." Ichibi made his head turn a full 180 degrees to look into Naruto's eye's.

"I am immortal." Ichibi said flashing with evil grin. And Naruto returned in kind with a wicked grin of his own.

"Yeah but I can sure make it hurt like hell! As of right now I am sending air through all of your veins, when it has reached capacity you will explode from the inside."

Ichibi's face turned to one of panic, he might not be able to die, but feeling pain was another thing.

"I think we are at our limit." Naruto said, and almost on que Ichibi exploded, sending chunks on himself everywhere, the only part remaining still intact was his head. And it went flying through the air, Naruto did a flip up to and brought his sword clean through it.

* * *

Sakura was still running as fast as her legs could take her, with the princess hot on her heels. 

_Almost there, just passed the castle, only a few more blocks…_

Sakura was brought out of her thoughts but the sound of a massive explosion.

"What was that?"

"It came from that direction!" Tsunada shouted.

Sakura was hesitant at first but something was telling her to go that way, that whatever happened Naruto was part of it.

The deciding factor was Kurama coming out of a crushed building, then running in the direction of the noise.

_Naruto!_

"Sakura what are you doing!?" Tsunada yelled chasing after her.

It only took a moment for Sakura to get there, and there he was. Standing with his back to her, in his fancy seraphim cloak, The Seraphim of Wind, Uzumaki Naruto, and he was sheathing his sword. Did that mean he won, he actually beat a demon?

"Naruto?"

* * *

Naruto heard his name said by the voice of angels, and only one person had that voice. He knew it without looking. 

"Sakura-chan?"

"Turn around you baka."

Naruto did as he was told, and turned to see the truth. He was right there she was.

"Sakura-chan what are you doing here?"

"I had to tell you something, before anything else happened.""Tell me what?"

"That she wanted you to see her die!" The voice was distinct, and Sakura had definitely heard it before. It was the monster from Temari's village, the Ichibi. A strange head and arm were floating above her.

"Ichibi…NO!" Naruto shouted rushing forward.

But he was to slow, he was tired and worn out, and seeing Sakura had thrown him off his battle mode.

Ichibi hit the building he was floating by, making it all come crashing down on Sakura.

It was slow motion for Naruto, the building coming down, and Sakura wide eyed looking straight at Naruto. He couldn't feel it but he had tears coming out of his eyes.

She looked scared, and yet at piece and was mouthing something to him, but he didn't hear it.

And the building hit the ground.

Ichibi then crushed the building more with his formed hand.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto couldn't believe it, his love was dead. He slowly fell to his knees.

And the Ichibi was just laughing away.

"And there she goes Naruto! Gone forever! Now despair, fall to despair, as everything comes crashing down!"

Ichibi reformed completely and started to bring every single building around him down.

"It is over!" Ichibi yelled triumphantly.

Naruto continued to just stare at the ground, no tears came out of his eyes, nothing. It was just empty, no emotion, no feelings, just emptiness.

_…it__'s over?_

Naruto lost all perception of sound, but his sight remained. He saw it all as he was somehow being moved away, everything was gone. All the buildings, all the markets, the castle, the council building, all of Coadunation was gone, and Sakura. The demons were huge, marching about the city in triumph, and Sakura.

_It is over…__ Everyone failed, I failed…I failed her…it is over_ Naruto thought wearily and drifted to a sleep he didn't want, for all this sleep would show him was Sakura dying over and over.

"Damn hot head, you won't do in this shape." The person holding onto Naruto said.

* * *

"Kyubi-sama…I…would…like…" The slow voiced Sanbi was cut off, by the psycho Ichibi. 

"Oh shut up, Kyubi-sama, we did it Coadunation is burning in a pile of rubble, and the boy is broken!"

"Seems Ichibi was able to redeem himself, Kyubi-kun, after all." The Nibi said as she curled up in a ball next to the sitting Kyubi.

"Excellent." The Kyubi said as his scowl turned to a grin "But Ichibi?"

"Yes?"

"You almost killed the boy, and said you would be in control."

"Um…"

"I can't let that stand." With a glint of his eye the Ichibi was consumed in flames and thrown into a room, where he would constantly burn in the flames of hell till the Kyubi said otherwise.

"The wheels have begun to turn."

* * *

Well there you go, i hit my dead line. I hope you people enjoyed this chap. Longest one yet, and i think it came out rather well. I set up a thing on my profile saying when the next chap is expected and a place that will state all questions people have asked, even if i cant answer them yet.

Ok another thing, if you want to think of this story as larger parts Part 1 i now finished, im shooting for about 5 part like things, and because part 1 is done i am taking a hiatus, so dont expect an update for a while, i just have to focus on some school stuff and gather more thoughts

Thanks for all the reviews up till now, they were truley inspiring. So review on this chapter if it was epic enough for you, and if there are any questions in your minds, or sugjestions for the story you might have. If you dont review well then...keep reading it, is what i have to tell you.

Wow longest chap yet, longest A.N. yet, I am just breaking all my records with this one, maybe ill get most reviews yet


	14. P2:C1: Iron Box

I do not own Naruto

"Speaking"

_Thoughts_

* * *

Part 2 Chapter 1

"So what is the verdict?"

"No change, it is so creepy I can't stand it."

"It isn't creepy."

"Well it certainly isn't normal I will tell you that."

"Nothing involving that one is normal."

"We should all just start beating him up till he comes to his senses."

"Naruto is already beating up himself enough; he doesn't need us helping him in that department."

"It could help."

"How?"

"Well maybe he won't feel so bad if someone punishes him; I mean make physical his emotional pain and when the sores of the beating are gone so will his sorrow."

"I don't know how to respond to that."

"By saying we should try it."

"You are just looking for someone to beat up. Besides I don't think us beating him up will help him with his 6 month stupor. This is all something he must work out within himself."

"Maybe you should try talking to him."

"No."

"Why?"

"Too troublesome, easier to just lie here and let him work his own shit out."

"Shikamaru how can you say that about your friend?!"

"Just like I did."

"Whatever."

Shikamaru slowly raised himself from his lying position on the couch. He could tell that this conversation wasn't going to just die. When it came to Naruto nothing ever did just die.

"Ok I am sitting and paying attention now. What is it?"

"What bothers me the most is that I can't get why he is still in that zombie like state for this long?"

"How do you not understand such things? I would have thought you would have understood completely."

"Enlighten me."

"Naruto's brain is directly linked to his heart. Every single decision he has made has come from his heart. So if his heart is broken from the death of this girl, then by all means his brain will be broken."

"I get that much but does it really take six months to get over a girl?"

"Girls are troublesome."

Shikamaru was hit face first with a pillow at his comment, but didn't let it affect him.

"Six months..."

"Yeah, it is hard to imagine it has been that long since Kiba brought him here from Coadunation. Where is Kiba by the way?"

"He went out to get lunch from the market, he should be back soon."

The conversation was stopped when the two conversationalists heard a door opening. Their eyes were drawn instantly to the bedroom door.

Naruto slowly made his way out of the room, not making eye contact with either of the two. He moved without really picking up his feet, like something was just dragging a lifeless doll along.

Naruto finally made his way to the kitchen, pouring a glass of water from the pitcher sitting out, and taking a piece of stale bread from the table. When he had acquired the rations he needed to sustain himself another day he began the arduous task of getting back to his room.

The door slowly closed again and the two returned their sights to one another.

"You can't tell me that wasn't creepy!"

Shikamaru wasn't going to respond and tried to let the conversation die, and with the abrupt opening of the front door of the lodging he didn't need to respond.

"GUYS, I'M BACK!" Kiba shouted as he burst through the front door.

Glancing around Kiba saw what he hadn't wanted to that day. Naruto wasn't sitting with the other two, not meaning Kiba suddenly thought he would be. But Kiba thought today might be a good day for some reason, he just felt lucky today.

"So the hothead hasn't left his room yet?"

"It is my room!"

Kiba jumped back at the outburst of anger.

"Calm down Ino, I know that is your room, but right now we have a subleaser of it."

Ino made a humph like noise and turned around and walked toward the kitchen.

"Damn I love to see her walk. That long blonde hair, her purple dress, and that ass. Man it is almost delicious."

"Please don't make me throw up."

"Oh come on Shikamaru, you have to admit she is hot."

"If she is so cute just ask her out or something."

"I am not saying I want to date her, that personality of her's would kill me. I was just stating her attractive level."

Shikamaru stared at the ceiling trying very hard to just ignore his stupid friend.

"Bet your gay..." Kiba left the comment to just float in the air knowing Shikamaru wouldn't respond.

"So Kiba did you get the meat for dinner?"

"Sorta..."

"Explain."

"Well I bought it then..."

A wooden cup was found lodged in the back of Kiba's head and a very pissed Ino with an outstretched arm behind him.

"You fool! You gave away our dinner to some hungry animal again didn't you?!"

"You don't understand, it was starving, the ribs were clearly visible. I couldn't just let the little bear cub starve."

"But us going hungry is just fine!"

Ino stormed back to the kitchen again.

"Troublesome Beast Master."

Kiba looked back to Shikamaru. The double attack was making him feel like public enemy number one.

"Yes, I am a Beast Master, and I love it! I will not abandon any animal I see."

"No need to defend yourself, you are just troublesome that's all."

Ino returned to the gathering area, a new cup in hand. She placed herself in the only other open chair.

"So what news do you bring Kiba?" Ino asked after a swig of whatever she had in that cup.

"Nothing good."

"Figures." Shikamaru added sitting up with a sigh.

"Before I get into that though, how is Naruto doing? Any better today?"

Ino answered the question, being the most qualified.

"No change in his Chuushouteki World. It is still just an iron box, a string going along the top, and him sitting in the middle. The exact same as it was the day you brought him in Kiba."

"Damn, you know I wish I had met this girl of his before she offed. Just to you know see what was so special about her."

"Probably nothing really, I mean Naruto has always had peculiar tastes when it came to anything."

Ino felt a glare coming at her from Kiba's direction, and couldn't stand it.

"What?!"

"You are just saying that cause he turned you down..."

Ino started to blush and turned away.

"No I am not."

"Right...Well think at least she was good looking?"

"She was beautiful."

Kiba and Ino looked at Shikamaru in shock; he had never called anyone such a word.

"You saw her before she died, and you never mentioned it?" Ino said in a daze, Shikamaru never used that kind of language for any woman before.

"No...This is just what Kakashi told me..."

Ino felt relieved in a sense that Shikamaru didn't actually think that someone was beautiful, and let go a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

"So you ran into Kakashi-sama?"

"Yeah when were you out to see Hatake-sama?"

"About a week ago."

"I don't remember you going anywhere outside the country..."

"Ino for a Mind Tempest you really don't use that brain of yours' do you? You must be where the term dumb blonde was coined. He is a Shadow Sage; he can pretty much go anywhere there is a shadow."

"I know that!"

"Sure..."

Not letting Kiba complete another insult Ino floored him.

"There, now that my aggression is calmed. Why didn't you tell us you saw him?"

"Because I wanted everyone around for the news but I guess with what everyone is doing there will hardly be a time we are all together."

"Well then how is Hatake-sama if I remember correctly he was the most physically damaged after the fight?"

"The wound he had on his right leg is healed nicely, it cut deep into the muscle, but no bone or nerves we cut so that is fine he can walk normally and all. The stomach wound that he got luckily also didn't hit anything vital; it went clean through so only a scar for that. But that takes us to his most serious wound. Kakashi still has very little movement in his right arm. The bone is very fragile still. He will never get that arm back to one hundred percent. I would be surprised if he ever got it to fifty percent."

"How did he receive all those wounds again? I forgot what you told me on how it happened."

"That is because I never told you. And I am not sure either, no point in me asking him what happened. It is his business, not mine."

"What else did Kakashi-sama say?" Kiba asked, deciding to rejoin the conversation after his trip to the floor.

"Later, first what news did you bring us?"

"Fine, well for starters the world is in far less of a pleasing state then it has been. I just found out that another group of elves were found and brutally murdered."

Ino's face flashed with pain, she never did like these conversations on the gossip Kiba had discovered but knew she had to hear it.

"They were found in a monk enclave in the eastern parts of the third kingdom. The Sanbi had a field day apparently. No one had seen him so ravenous before. The word is after he got a taste of carnage he can't stop now. And the Kyubi gives no opposition since the stupid turtle is letting all this chaos loose in his own territory. The Kyubi also set forth a declaration that if anyone sees an elf to kill it on site. And if they do not adhere to this decree then his minions will kill the human instead."

Kiba stopped when he saw the look of anguish upon his friends face. Ino's face was screaming "you can't be serious".

"Ino...don't worry, most people aren't following the order."

"I figured that...it's just...such a decree, the evil of the demons is sometimes just unfathomable."

"Anything else Kiba?" Shikamaru was already bored with the topic and wanted to take a nap. But he knew he had to say his news also before he could.

"Yeah I got news from Fatass."

Ino let out a snort, and started to laugh, already over her sadness.

"I think he prefers, Traveling Battle Chef."

"But that isn't really a class of warrior. Besides Fatass just suites Choji better."

"Fine whatever, what news from Choji."

"He did some recon in the 7th Kingdom and looked around at the ruins of Gaia."

"And?"

"Get this, there are no ruins."

"What?!" Ino shouted a bit louder then intended.

Kiba looked back to Shikamaru, not liking the overly loud interruption.

"Anyway, as I said nothing is there. The only signs that anything might have been there are a road leading to a large clearing. There is no rubble, no debris, nothing."

"Troublesome."

"It is, isn't it?"

"That all?"

"Oh yeah, Choji apparently met Lee along the way."

"Really, Lee hasn't checked in 4 months, what is he doing?"

"Hell if I or Choji know, supposedly they met up and Lee just kept spewing youthful this, and youthful that like always. Choji couldn't even get out of him what he was doing."

"Figures."

"Guys I think we need to trust Lee more, he might be a pain sometimes, but he definitely knows what he is doing, he is up to something, and it is probably going to be helpful in the long run."

"Ever the optimist aren't you girl?"

Ino flashed a grin at Shikamaru.

"You know it."

"Ok Shikamaru, I gave my info, out with yours."

"Fine, this way I can get things done and go take a nap."

Kiba and Ino stared at Shikamaru as if he was crazy, in an important time like this, he would rather just skip it and nap. How did they work with him again?

"Firstly Kakashi told me to tell this to Naruto, and I guess you guys too. Pein doesn't want Naruto around at all. He said that the next time he sees Naruto if he isn't back to his complete normal self he is going to be killed, and Pein will search for the new Wind Seraphim who won't be totally useless."

"Yikes. I guess we can't let Naruto near Mister Stick Up His Ass then."

"Kiba! Don't insult Pein-sama, he needs nothing less than our utmost respect. He is our best chance against the demons. He is that strong you know!"

"Whatever, I just don't trust him, or those eyes of his, I mean I just get a weird vibe off the dude, like he doesn't have the same goals in mind as us."

Shikamaru cleared his throat trying to get back on subject.

"I don't care what you guys think of Pein right now, the point is don't let Naruto near him till he is better. Next just so you know The Council isn't dead. They are still in contact and have been using a small group of elves and themselves to make guerilla attacks on demon strongholds. Kakashi said they have a secret meeting place, but I couldn't get out of him where that place is. Naruto knows though I would assume."

"Interesting..."

"What is Kiba?" Ino asked curious as to what Kiba saw that she didn't.

"So you find it strange also Kiba?"

"What is strange?" Ino asked with more intensity seeing that Shikamaru also noticed.

"And they still expect us..."

"Yes."

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Shouted Ino.

Shikamaru gave a slight nod to Kiba to tell him to explain the situation to Ino.

"It is interesting that The Council expects our little group to just jump at the drop of a hat, to do whatever to hell and back for them, yet we aren't trusted enough to be given a simple meeting location."

"It could be because the culprit for the conquest of Gaia Tower is still at large."

"What? That reason is dumb; it was the demons for that. So that theory is dropped. Aren't I right Ino?"

Kiba looked to Ino to back up what he thought was a cut and dry argument. But the look on her face gave him reason to doubt.

"I don't know Kiba, think about it. What reason do the demons have to destroy that tower? It was a magical nexus, they could have gained from it, why smash it? Also you reported yourself that the tower's remains are gone, since when have the 9 of those monsters hid any of their destruction?"

Kiba's face quickly changed from that of assurance in his own theories to perplextion in light of the new evidence.

"The public would be told that it was the demons. But The Council suspects the work to be a done by humans."

Kiba's face once again donned a new emotion, this time shock.

"Shikamaru, what human has that power?"

"That is the question, and that is why The Council doesn't trust outside their own."

"Wow that is a lot to take in..." Ino looked exhausted from the new information just said by everyone.

"I agree."

"Yeah, we can end it here. I am tired and it is too troublesome to say the rest of the info today."

"Shikamaru you lazy basterd!"

Kiba laughed good and hardy following Ino's outburst.

"Ino he is doing you a favor, you look terrible after all that serious stuff. Go clean yourself up."

Kiba had been finding himself on the floor frequently that day, and after his remark to Ino's looks he found himself there again.

"Fine we will finish this later. I am going to go take a bath in the pond...Don't any of you come peak!"

Kiba sat up rubbing his cheek.

"...bitch can't take a joke."

* * *

"So anyone for a game of cards?" 

"What cards?"

"I could make some appear."

"Like you did the flapjacks?"

"Shut up!"

"Make me!"

The two blondes stared each other down, prepping themselves to unleash hell on the opposing person.

"Will you two shut up?!"

"Sorry mister bossy."

"Yeah we are just trying to lighten the mood."

The third blonde teen looked rather pissed with the other two.

"If you must be a nuisance, go be one in the corner."

"Fine...janken in the corner?"

"Sure."

In an instance the two of them were in the corner playing a rousing game of rock paper scissors.

"Good now that those two are gone. GET THE HELL UP!"

The third blonde kid decided now was the time to resume shouting at the 4th one sitting in the middle of the room, with his legs to his chest, and arms around the legs.

"Stop doing this and get back to the world!"

"Piss off." The simple answer that came from the sitting one.

"Leave the boy alone, he's hurting." Said by a docile fifth blonde.

"Oh I don't want to hear that shit from you. You have been telling me for 6 months to leave this fucker alone, and I have had it! I am getting him off his ass and into back to the world!"

"But..."

"No, you aren't stopping me!"

The fifth backed down there, seeing that nothing would sooth the anger from his counterpart apart from their host's recovery.

"We are here to help you vent, but up till now you haven't vented enough. You are just a comatose little prick."

The one sitting in the center didn't respond.

"Well the true nature of her man has come forth. She fell for a spineless pussy."

"SHE IS DEAD! WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!" The sitter was now on his feet shouting at the previous shouter. But soon he was back on the ground due to a fist in the face.

"Naruto you bitch...I loved Sakura-chan too. So I know plenty!"

Naruto's eyes were downcast, not wanting to look his attacker in the face.

"The four of us are clones made up from the shadows you cast in your mind...How do I not know?"

"Look maybe..."

"I said you aren't stopping me!"

"Right...sorry." The 5th Naruto backed off again.

"Naruto, do you really think she wants you to grieve for her in this manner, cutting yourself off, and wasting away without accomplishing anything?"

Naruto didn't respond to his shadow.

"Look around you."

Naruto's eyes quickly did a scan of the small box he was in. Each wall was identical to the others. Just a boring grey iron color. The ceiling, the walls, the floor, all of it was the same, and it was small. Small and confining. There was no logical way that five of himself could be in that room comfortably, but that was the beauty of that world, it didn't have to make since. The only thing strange about it was a small red string running along the center of the ceiling.

"Do you see? Well of course you do, you have been in this box for six months. SIX FUCKING MONTHS!"

"So?"

"So? SO! This room doesn't piss you off? Do you even remember what your Chuushouteki World looked like to begin with?"

The original gave no response.

"It was a huge castle, one beyond imagining. With so many corridors and rooms. If I recall correctly the whole castle itself was a labyrinth. You could easily get lost, find the wrong door and fall to your death. You even supplied your mind with your own minotaur to guard the castle and the maze. There was one room on the 8th floor's 6th tower that was completely ice. Don't you remember how fun it was to slide around on the ice? No way to control where you went in the room. It could take you 3 hours to just make it out of that room. Another room in the 2nd floor dungeon near the iron maiden room, you had a giant bottomless pit filled with ramen…boy that was a tasty room."

The Naruto that had been talking lost himself for a moment imagining all the ramen there.

"Sorry lost myself there. Do you remember any of that? Your mind used to be the worst mind for people to break into, they were certainly doomed. But what you hid in that mind was all worth the struggle and strife. Sakura-chan didn't want you to give that up. She didn't want you to lose your Chuushouteki World after you saved hers."

"What a pointless waste of my mind that was. In all the time I spent doing stupid things like that in my mind, I should have been developing ways to keep her safe…This box is the best thing for me…"

"Do you think that is what she wanted? No. Sakura-chan would have wanted nothing more than to keep you happy. But more than that, she would not have wanted to give up on your goal. Remember the goal that you told her? She supported it, and even said she would give her life to see such a beautiful dream come to fruition."

"Sakura-chan didn't…"

A strange noise started to vibrate through the metal of the cube.

"Damn…another day passed. Ok everyone dissipate for a few." The Naruto that had been scolding the creator, gave the commanding order to the other 4 and in a puff of smoke they all disappeared. Not 5 seconds after that a strange hole formed on the wall to Naruto's back and a young woman dressed in all purple entered.

"Heh…So I see you got up and moved about…" Ino said trying to start the mood off light for her daily check.

Naruto sat unresponsive.

Ino walked to the front of Naruto to find his head still in his knees.

"Naruto please, please come out of this. If not for yourself, but for the people who love you."

Naruto's eyes flashed with pain at Ino's remark, but with his head in his knees she wasn't able to see the only reaction she would get out of him.

"It has been six months Naruto."

Still nothing.

"Tell me what I can do to make it better. We need you Naruto. The world needs you…You tried so hard, you can't save them all, even though it was a big loss."

Naruto continued to ignore her presence. Even though if it hadn't been for her, he probably wouldn't know how long he had barricaded his consciousness in this cesspool of self guilt.

"Ok Naruto, I will let you in on a secret."

Ino waited a moment to see if he cared about the secret. Kneeling down she continued.

"The truth is, I am done. That is it I have had it. I come here every day and get nothing from you. It drives me crazy. But even worse than that it makes me so unbearably sad. I see you like this and I can't help but think that if this kind of thing can happen to the strongest hearted person I know then what will happen to the rest of us. I keep these feelings inside from the others though. I thought of telling them my worries but I can't. They have this crazy notion that I might be able to help you somehow. Shikamaru has said this is something you must solve, but even he thinks I can help somehow. And that pressure is to much. I can't take the weight of the responsibility of curing you…"

Ino paused for a moment, she was telling someone how this ordeal had been making her feel. Causing all those emotions to come to the forefront of her mind, and it was making her eyes water.

"…I can't help you. People don't understand what I do, do they? I am a Mind Tempest, a witch of the mind. Have you ever once heard of a witch healing someone? No, because they don't. Ask me to go into a battle and I will rip the thought process of an enemy apart, I will make them crap themselves every hour on the hour if I wanted. But me coming here does nothing. I don't have any special ability to just fix what was broken. I haven't ever even recalled an account of a Mind Tempest performing that kind of action. But everyone just assumes I can…"

She was silently crying now.

"…I forgot why I come to this world of yours. It isn't even like you respond to me so I can argue with you, or try to mend some thought you have. So I have no abilities and you don't talk to me, so why should I bother? So Naruto I quit. I will still come into the room your body resides in to fool the others into thinking I am trying, but I won't visit your world anymore. I am done."

Ino got up and headed for the hole in the back wall that she came through. The tears were still falling.

"For what it is worth Naruto, I do care about you and hope you can come out of this stupor. I wish you luck in your trial."

With that she left hoping she wouldn't regret her decision.

Naruto's unmoving body started to cast shadow in four different directions. Each shadow took the shape of a Naruto clone.

"You know I still don't get were the shadows come from. I mean where is the light source to cast these shadows?"

"It is just another mystery of the Chuushouteki World."

The two Naruto's in conversation nodded in agreement.

"So, want to continue our game?"

"Sure."

Those two went back to their corner for another round leaving the other three to their own devices once again.

"Look what you did! You made Ino cry!"

"She cried on her own."

"Damn you, is there not even a shred of sympathy left in you?"

"My sympathy and kindness was crushed under a building. Besides Ino isn't one to want my pity."

"Naruto you are doing this wrong I hope you know."

"What am I doing wrong?"

"Grieving, one needs to be crying, shouting, hitting things; they need some form of ventilation. But they also need to be living. Get back out in the world and deal with all your shit! This isn't grieving; I mean you are just locking it all up. The only time you have really cried about it was when it happened after that you just went blank. I am not telling you to get over her death, I mean I understand, everyone in this rooms understands the tragedy of the loss and we haven't gotten over it. If someone tells you to do so I give you free reign to shove your fist into that person's nose. But get out of this stupid nonliving funk."

"So everything I do now is wrong?"

"Way to take what I said and manipulate it. No that isn't what I said."

The shy one in the group thought now might have been a good time to interrupt and end this.

"Ok so we have all said some heavy things today, why don't we all take a break?"

No was the answer he got from the yelling one, and he wasn't even acknowledged by the sitting one.

"What about everyone in the world Naruto?"

"What of them?"

"You are letting them all down. With you in here you are taking away one of their few beacons of hope. You are The Seraphim of Wind…ACT LIKE IT! Get out there and try to atone for Sakura-chan's death. You will never feel like you will fully get rid of the pain of losing the one you loved, but that doesn't mean you can't get rid of a fraction of it. Get out there and fight the demons. Don't you think Shukaku deserves to be destroyed for what he did? And with you like this who will be the one to do it?"

"Shut up…"

"What was that? You need to speak up."

"I said…Shut Up!" Naruto was up in an instance with his left hand on the throat of his antagonize pinning him to the wall and his right in a fist now punched into the iron wall.

"Very good reaction."

"I said…"

The clone that had been pin easily swatted the real away like his attack was that of a fly to a mountain.

"I know what you said."

Naruto quickly recovered himself and returned to his sitting position.

"Wow that easily you return to the floor, how did someone like you ever think you could help the world? I guess all the goals you had, all the people you helped, everything you have done up till now is meaningless."

"…it wasn't" Naruto said to the floor.

"I already told you that you gotta speak up. I am a bit hard of hearing."

"It wasn't meaningless."

"Really? But you have given up; I think your words were it is over and then something about failing. Well if it is over then it was meaningless, the people who died for a better world are nothing more than dust in the wind and the few people still living in this diseased world should just go ahead and commit suicide because there is no point right? I am sure that is what Sakura-chan would want them all to do."

"ENOUGH!" Naruto was back to his feet seething in anger.

"Is it?"

"Out and be gone. I want all of you gone!"

One of the Naruto's in the corner raised his hand and asked, "Even us?"

"NOW!" Naruto yelled loud as he could.

"Ok we will go…"

They each started to dissipated into a puff of smoke till all that was left was the original and his provoker.

"I said all of you!"

"I am leaving."

"Are you happy I am making you leave?"

"No."

"Then why are you smiling?"

"Because this is the best reaction we could have gotten from you." The clone made his poof into nonexistence leaving Naruto alone.

"DAMN IT!" He yelled when he was by himself, and began a long session of berating the wall with his fists.

* * *

"Tsunada is housing refuges." 

"Which?"

"Oh the important kind. Hinata, Neji, Hanabi, and Tenten."

"Well Tsunada-hime has always been like that."

"Gracious?"

"No, one to bring power to herself."

"True, the word is also that the actual elf army is in hiding but with one word from Hinata or Neji they will stand and fight."

"Hinata-sama has always commanded respect even though she does come across as timid, so it is no surprise the army will follow their acting leader."

"Agreed."

"Shikamaru is that all the information I need to be filled in on?"

"Yes it is."

"Well were have Kiba and Ino run off to?"

"Kiba left yesterday to go hunting, but I doubt he will find anything. And Ino left 3 days ago saying that she needed to go clear her head."

"Very well, and Naruto?"

"I am impressed Shino that you are the first person not to ask about Naruto first. The thing with Naruto is…"

Shikamaru stopped himself at the sound of the bedroom door opening.

_Must be rations time, troublesome._

The surprising thing though was when no sign of movement came. There was no lifeless body stringing along for food. There was simply a presence standing in the door frame.

"Hey guys."

Shino's expression was hidden by his black glasses so the shock could not be seen in his eyes. But Shikamaru's face was covered in it, he almost couldn't bring himself to move his head to look.

"Na..ru…to?"

"Yeah, the one and only."

Shikamaru for once could not find something to say, his mind was tapped. Shino saw this and took on the task of fielding the talking.

"How are you doing Naruto?"

"Fairly well."

"How is your resolve?"

"Well I am not ready to return to The Council, but I gotta say this. Six months in one room, is a really damn long time."

There it was the stupid comment that affirmed that it was Naruto and he was better, for the most part. Shikamaru would swear Shino and Naruto to secrecy on his next action later but for now he had to jump out of his chair and give the blonde idiot a hug.

* * *

hurray new chapter, hope you enjoy it. 

Thank all of you for you wonderful reviews, i appreciate all the one given to me, even the flames telling me i suck. But i do have a word for those. If you want to flame me go for it, but dont tell me i am an idiot writer and the story makes no sense than continue to read the story. because i am fairly sure i have said if you dont like my story dont read it.

Everything that has been mentioned in reviews will be addressed later in the story and i love that some of you are pointing things out.

Check profile for estimated update day, subject to change with finales coming. Happy Thanksgiving


	15. P2:C2: Traveling Magi

i don't own Naruto

"talking"

_thoughts_

* * *

P2: C2

Moon light gleamed through the small opening between the branches of the trees. It gave the whole area a solemn yet eerie feel to it, a feeling that the prying eyes of Death himself were upon you but in the serene state you found yourself it just didn't matter.

The trees themselves gave a strange silhouette against the darkness, each edge illuminated with a white light not present. By the information available it could be hard to discern if these trees were dead for the strife in the world or if they had just shed their summer coats. The answer came in the form of a breeze taking all the dead leaves into the sky to block the moon from the prying eyes of its blue mistress, so all could become dark.

Walking through this quite wood was a man, recently a boy. His aura gave of a presence of something greater, but he himself exhaled an air of self pity. The grief was growing within his heart, and as long as it was there his iron will that all who knew him had become accustomed too would never return.

The depression inside him was being soothed by the surrounding he found himself strolling in. For he knew that she also would have loved it, and that for some reason gave him all the more comfort.

_My first day out didn't go too badly. It did me good, especially meeting her...She might have brought more pain to the surface but that is what I need. And now that pain is slowly disappearing forever thanks to this walk._

The shadows moved toward him as he was off in a thought bubble of his own. For a warrior of his caliber he might feel later that he should have sensed their presence, but that remained to be seen. The things were being stealthy as best possible but soon threw caution to the wind as they saw the man at his most vulnerable. The call of nature got to the night walker and as he reflected on his day letting the warm liquid escape, the followers were upon him.

* * *

Naruto was practically running all over the walls, and with his abilities it was totally possible.

"I WANT OUT!"

"Naruto calm down."

"No! I have been in this stupid house for 6 months I want to leave it."

Ino huffed in frustration at the antics of this child of a man.

"Why can't we let him leave Kiba?"

"Because Shikamaru told us not too."

"Damn that man and his troublesome ways."

Naruto stopped his frantic running and yelling on a dime.

"Wait what is today?"

"Um...Ino?"

"Why do I have to know?"

"Because there is a calendar near the stove I assumed you would have looked at it."

"And why would I be near the stove?"

Kiba's sexist comment was on the tip of his tongue till he thought for his health and realized he would meet his floor friend again if he said it.

"No reason..."

"But yes I do know what today is."

"Then what was that about?"

"Just wanted to see you squirm." Ino said with an evil grin between her cheeks.

"Naruto the date is November the twentieth."

"Thanks Ino."

The quite covered the room as Ino and Kiba waited with baited breath for the reason Naruto so desperately needed the date.

"How bought you guys let me out for the day as a belated birthday present?"

Ino and Kiba took some time to think of his request, he was right he had been in his depressed state during his birthday so they didn't do anything for him, and if that was all he wanted how could they say no? On the other hand Shikamaru wouldn't be happy if they let him out.

"Well Naruto..."

Ino was going to tell him that she thought it they went with him it might be alright but he had been gone the moment they let their guard of the door down to contemplate his request.

Kiba let out an annoyed sigh. "Why did I save a guy like that again?"

Ino rolled her eyes at the question and walked towards the door, no sense her staying cooped up in this house if the thing she was supposed to be watching had flown the coop.

"Because he is probably humanities greatest hope." Ino said while closing the door.

"Right." Kiba nodded and directed himself to the couch to have a nap.

* * *

The air was ripe with the sense of ice, the temperatures in the north could get far below freezing even in the tail end of the autumn season. If a person had found themselves without some sort of covering they would certainly freeze, but those feelings didn't phase Naruto one tiny bit. He loved the cold; to him it felt like spring to most people due to his body's unusual high temperature the cool down was nice. He had gone to roam in nothing more than a linen long sleeved shirt and some basic rough leather pants. No coverings, no weapons, no sense that he would need anything. And that made it all the better.

As Naruto was running head first into the cold wind he considered doing cartwheels to celebrate his return to the world of the living, but decided against it after flipping a nonexistent metal coin in his mind.

"The world welcomes me back with open arms!" Naruto shouted to the different layers of the atmosphere.

"No it doesn't!"

The quick reply along with the awful tone it had with it came from an elderly looking man walking nearby.

"Hello sir, how are you?"

"Pissed off, leave me alone."

The man turned on his heals to walk in a direction nonadjacent to the blonde.

"Sir, where are you going?" Naruto asked as he chased after the wrinkled old timer.

"Not that it is any of your concern, but I am trying to find my way back to town."

"Where is the town?"

"Go away."

"But I am just trying to help."

"Shoo you vermin."

"I won't!" Naruto held a determined look on his face that he hadn't shown for many a moon. The instance of its use wasn't the greatest, but that didn't matter.

"If I tell you, can you stop bugging me and go to town on your own?"

"Sure."

"The town is about a mile in that direction." The old man said as he pointed in a southwestern direction.

"Thank you, hey how bought if you don't show up in an hour I will come back and get you?"

"Whatever you pest."

Naruto smiled at the man who virtually just gave up and didn't care now. But Naruto did what he agreed and headed to the village without the old shriveled up man.

The village in itself was old and run down, a clear testament to the time in which these people lived in. All the building looked like they should be condemned with rotting wood and termites oozing from every orifice. And the scarceness of the building could very well mean that many of the people within the town shared a building with a family or five.

The village might have looked in disarray but the people couldn't look any happier. The streets were filled with laughter and dancing. The people were drinking merrily and celebrating with heartfelt content for themselves.

Naruto felt a great happiness for these people; he was so moved to see the celebration of life even in a word of misery. He understood now why the old man wanted almost desperately to return, but he still could have accepted the help and not been cranky.

In a moment Naruto was thrown into the festivities as a dancing line grabbed his arm and pulled him into the fireworks of life.

As he danced more and more through the streets Naruto couldn't fight the urge to break out of line and ask a man on the sidewalk what was going on.

"Excuse me?"

The man turned to face Naruto, and smiled huge at the young hero.

"What can I do for you?"

"Well it is a bit embarrassing, but... well I was passing through and got into the festivities and I feel that I shouldn't be enjoying myself so much if I have no idea what is even going on."

"Oh no worries my boy, this is our Autumn Jubilee. We celebrate it every year."

"Fun, glad I showed up then."

"Well even better guess what came to town this year?"

"I have no earthly idea."

"Just guess."

"um...one of the tailed demons?"

"No, but close."

A worried expression came to Naruto's face at that, this man not only just said that something close to a demon was in their village but he was actually smiling about it.

"Well then..."

"It is a Seraphim my good man, we have a living breathing god of magic here."

This shocked the blonde, he wasn't necessarily hiding the fact he was a seraphim but he didn't broadcast this either.

"Where...how...who?"

"Well that got you a little shaken up didn't it. Well to answer those questions, have you heard of Traveling Magi?"

"Yes...They are groups of traveling performing magicians."

"Well one group of them happened to come to town two days ago, and we convinced them to stay for the festival. That was when we found out that one was a seraphim and said he was willing to do a special exhibition today. It is going to be amazing."

Words couldn't escape his mouth. It was just not possible right? None of the seraphim would do that would they?

"Which one? Which element I mean?"

"Fire, pure and powerful fire, lad. In our town during the jubilee we have the Seraphim of Fire to do an exhibition."

"Wow..."

_Itachi__ That can't be, he has far too much pride to do something like that. He would never think those people are worthy of a free show without an actual problem._

"Speak boy, is the shock too much for you?"

"No...It's just...When is he going on?"

"His main show is today in an hour, then he will be doing a closing show tomorrow."

"May I go with you today to watch?"

"Course. By the way son, what is your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto and yourself?"

"Just call me Kenji." The man told Naruto with a smile.

Naruto returned the warm smile, but didn't let go of his train of thought.

_Who would impersonate __a seraphim_

The man and Naruto quickly rejoined the festivities till the show. They danced, they sang, the other man got piss ass drunk, Naruto didn't have more than two glasses of the strange alcoholic beverage. The two partook in the games set up in booths, most were silly and the pair lost everyone they played.

Everyone's joy came to a screeching halt when a ball of fire exploded above the village.

"Nice firework." The man said in stunned silence of the giant explosion.

Naruto corrected the companion he had made.

"That wasn't a firework that was an explosion of fire. I guess it's the seraphim's signal to the people to come watch now."

"Oh, wow Naruto you sure are learned at fire."

"Just been around, you know."

"Right, well let's go."

The man ran off into the crowd and Naruto followed right on his heels. He had to see this.

* * *

A stage was set up on the edge of the wood. It seemed fairly elaborate with banners and horns and a multitude of vibrant colors. The whole thing folded out of a wagon, clearly a spell there.

A group of five gathered up onto the stage.

Naruto took each one of them in trying to discern from the outfits which one could be the imposter.

_Lets__ see...a blonde man wearing all red...possibly. __A black haired fellow wearing all red...also possible.__A red headed girl wearing all red...odd.__A__n__ orange haired lady wearing all red...damn.__ A white haired elderly woman wearing all red...ok what the fuck?_

"Welcome one and all." The man with the black hair yelled out. His voice was amplified to the crowd through strange horns.

"We are a band of Traveling Magi, know as Fire!"

Naruto rolled his eyes and muttered to himself. "Obvious."

"We will all be performing magic for you, then in the end THE SERAPHIM OF FIRE WILL DO AN EXPIDITION!"

The crowd roared they couldn't wait to see an angel demonstrate its abilities.

The show started with the blonde.

_Scratch one off the list._

"Hello everyone I am Star!"

_Interesting name..._

"I will be performing some fire magic for you, now you might think it's cool at first. But once THE SERAPHIM does its part you will think me powerless."

After his little speech the man began his demonstration. The man started by saying a small incantation and made a ball of fire appear, and then he did it twice more, and began to juggle the three fire balls. A very standard show technique, but the way he danced while juggling gave a sense of danger and fun to it. He was clearly a rookie at magic but he could have proved to be a fine mage a hundred years prior.

He bowed and left after a few minutes of playing. He got a bit of applause, but nothing major.

The second person came forth. It was the white haired elderly lady.

"Hi my name is White Dwarf. And I will be showing you some fire magic techniques. But I am an insect to THE SERAPHIM!"

_She doesn't look short..._

White Dwarf said her own spell summoning forth a circle of candles. Then she spat on her hand and the hand was engulfed in fire.

_So she can bring fire out with the elemental strength of water, fun. __Took me a while to learn that you could use an element of magic and turn it into a weaker magic of the weaker element.__ That must be some fairly strong spit._

Dwarf slammed her hand into the ground and a dome of fire incased her slowly growing outward. It stopped after the candles were engulfed. The fire quickly got sucked back toward her and returned to her hand. The woman then shoved her whole fist into her mouth thus negating the fire. The only fire left was the lit candles.

The whole crowd gave a resounding clap for her. It was definitely better than the juggler. She bowed and exited stage left.

The third of the earlier red people came to the stage. This one had the orange hair.

"My name is Ember! You better remember it, even when THE SERAPHIM performs."

_So all their names are something to do with fire befitting their hair color...and they all really want to stress they have a seraphim._

Ember did his routine of making a whip of fire with a dragon head and scaring the audience as he threw it about. He got a lot of cheers for that. The fourth person who had red hair came out. She claimed to be Supernova. She also stressed the seraphim, and then proceeded to make fire shoot from the ground to the air, while controlling them in fantastic patterns and returning it to the ground again in a rain.

_That means the black haired one must claim to be the seraphim._

He did indeed emerge, and said his name to be just Fire.

_Guess he didn't know of the __a__materasu_

The shocking thing came when he also boasted the seraphim and said he was up next. There was no sixth performer was there?

The man was obviously the best of that group of five. He actually was able to make an elemental blade of fire. Any elemental blade needs a very high skill in that element to wield. He was also able to elongate it as he saw fit. He did a swordsman's dance with the blade. He didn't get as loud of cheers as the prior two.

_Crowd doesn't know skill I guess._

The man left with the final shot of "THE ELEMENTAL SERAPHIM OF FIRE!"

The crowd roared and a pillar of fire appeared on the stage, or what was left of the stage. The column completely ravaged the space, and what was once the stage was now the ground.

Standing on the now burnt ground and wood embers was a man clad in fancy armor. Every piece had paintings of different things of fire.

_Well this imposter goes all out._

The man didn't say a thing as he began his show of force. He covered his body in flames, and started to shout. The shout made the flames grow exponentially. When they stopped the man turned around. Now towering above him and everyone else a giant fire version of himself.

Everyone was helplessly tongue tide at the fire prowls of this seraphim. Well almost everyone.

_Skilled, yes...__Itachi__ most definitely not even close._

Naruto let out a small huff that he thought only he heard. But Kenji heard it.

"You didn't like that?"

Naruto shook his head yes.

"It's not that I didn't like it or find it impressive. It is just how do we know this man is really the fire seraphim?"

"The display Naruto, that was incredible!"

"Yes, but..."

"Why don't you think he's the seraphim?"

_I could say because I know the seraphim, but I don't really want attention right now. __I am s__till not ready to get back to the field._

Naruto laughed and scratched the back of his head.

"No particular reason was just a thought I had. But what do I know I am just a traveler. Heh heh..."

Naruto found himself stuck as Kenji could tell something was up. Thinking he was doomed Naruto couldn't think of anything to do until all logical thought left his head in the form of a head of pink hair.

He saw it for sure; across the crowd headed into town was a woman with pink hair.

"...Kenji...I gotta go!" Naruto bolted toward the woman.

_SAKURA-__CHAN?!_

He chased her threw the street slowly getting closer. When he got to her, he was positive he had found her. The right height, the right hair length, a similar outfit.

"SAKURA-CHAN!" Naruto shouted as he wrapped his arms around her and gave possibly the strongest hug to date in the world.

"Who?"

* * *

Kenji slowly made his way to the caravan. After Naruto took off and The Seraphim dismissed himself back to his wagon, Kenji knew he had to talk to him.

"Stop, what are you doing?" Star said when he saw Kenji approach.

"I must speak to The Seraphim."

"What about?"

"I think someone might try to kill him."

Kenji didn't want to believe that Naruto would do such a thing, but the boy had been acting weird when he mentioned it at first. Then the look he got watching The Seraphim, and the crazy running off. No Kenji couldn't take chances with the life of a seraphim.

Star stared at him for a moment then ushered him forward.

"This way."

* * *

Naruto didn't register the remark to his tight embrace. He was just so happy.

"Um...excuse me? I think you might have me confused."

Naruto heard it that time. That wasn't the voice of an angel, it was more earthly. Naruto didn't so much let go of the girl as just spun her in place till he could see her eyes.

They spoke the truth. They weren't dazzling greens they were dirty browns. Naruto let her go and started to talk to himself.

"Not her...of course...she's dead...I just hoped..."

The woman interrupted his self pity.

"Um, sorry I am not who you thought I was. I bet she is here somewhere."

"No..."

"Why?"

Naruto didn't reply.

"Want to talk about it?"

Again silence.

"Alright, how bought just a drink then, you look like you could use one."

Naruto looked like he nodded a little, so the girl took that as her answer, and grabbed his hand and dragged him to a small pub she knew here.

* * *

Kenji left the wagon of the imposter, feeling better for himself, but bad for Naruto if he does something crazy.

As the men and woman watched him disappear out of sight the seraphim spoke.

"This Naruto person seems like he might actually cause trouble."

Dwarf responded. "But he was described as not a warrior at all with no weapons or anything. So no problem for us."

Star nodded. "True."

Fire had to add his two cents also, "yes."

"He might not be, but he could be we don't know, so I say three of us take him out just in case. Because as far as it sounds he at least knows we don't have the seraphim." Said Supernova to the group.

"Go with supernova's idea. Fire, Star, and Dwarf since you three feel so confident, you go take him out." Said the false one.

"Right." Resounded in the wagon from all three.

* * *

Naruto couldn't put his finger upon it but this woman was somehow getting him to open up and he said the whole story to her, he didn't even mind her knowing his status. If she believed his rank or not was her prerogative.

"Wow that was a crazy story."

"Yeah..."

"Well Naruto, what do you think? Is she alive?"

"I hope with all my might that she is, I mean it is a possibility...what do you think?"

"Me? From the sound of it, I would say she is dead without question. Come on this isn't some magical world that can just save everyone. Death will come no matter what and that building was your loves physical embodiment of The Reaper."

"You don't sugar coat things do you?"

"Nope, no point."

"But what if..."

"Naruto, honestly ask yourself what you think."

"Honestly...I think there is no breathing coming from her this day."

"Good way to say she is dead."

"Yes, but it hurts so much to think that..."

"Pain is a necessity. But you will get over it eventually. The first step is truly coming to terms with the fact she is dead and not trying to fantasize a way she might have survived."

"Yeah..."

The woman saw the pain written all over Naruto's face. She felt like having a little sympathy.

"I once lost the man I loved."

"Really?"

"Yeah 15 years ago."

"15?! But that would mean he died when you were around 12!"

The woman started to laugh.

"Naruto you just made my day, but do you really think I am only 27?"

"Yeah...how old are you?"

"You don't ask a woman that baka!"

She almost hit him but restrained herself.

"Sorry."

"Back to what I was going to say. I found great refuge in doing something I knew he would love to do. It made me feel like I was honoring his memory. After a little while of doing things like that I slowly moved on. The pain never went 100 away, but it would say on a good day it's 95 gone."

"Does that really work?"

"It can."

Naruto rose from the table.

"Thank you very much; I think I will go for a walk then."

"At this hour? It is getting dark."

"It is alright. By the way I never did ask your name."

"And you still haven't."

Naruto chuckled a little.

"What is the name of the person who just gave me great advice?"

"My name is Doku, Doku Tsuta."

* * *

Naruto finished relieving himself on the tree. And found himself in a choke hold against it.

"Who are you and what do you want?" The man at Naruto's throat asked.

"Shouldn't...I...be...the...one...asking?" Naruto got out.

"Are you some sort of wandering warrior? Why do you look so pathetic? Why don't you fight back?"

"Held...against...a...tree." Naruto said trying to be sarcastic but not many chocking people can come across as such.

"Pin him." The first ordered his companions.

The two pulled out daggers from underneath their red cloaks.

Each drove one dagger into one hand of Naruto's to hold him against the tree.

Naruto screamed in pain, or would have if he had any voice at the moment, the lack of oxygen made it harder to form noises.

The two others then tied him in rope binding him to the tree so he couldn't escape.

The first ask if they were good. They nodded to him.

The hand was removed from Naruto's throat. And much needed air filled his lungs. Then out came a scream of pain.

"WHAT THE HELL?!"

"Shut up"

Naruto did what he was told for the moment. And watched as his head assailant brought forth yet another knife.

"I will now use this knife to carve away your flesh until you tell us what we want to hear."

Naruto started to wiggle one arm that was pinned above his head.

"What?" The head man asked.

"How can I tell you anything..."

Naruto took a quick break to collect himself from the pain, and continued. "...if I was told to shut up?"

The man clearly didn't enjoy sarcasm and rushed Naruto, possibly to gut him. The man never made it to Naruto's torso however as a whizzing sound flew by cutting the man clean in half from head to crotch. The noise then came back and cut the second person in half also.

The third just sat there dumbstruck. They never even got their chance to run and for whatever had been making the noise came again. This time not as clean though and got stuck inside the person's chest.

The object was a giant ring, beautifully crafted, clearly Elvin. The outside was sharper than almost any blade Naruto had seen. And the inside had an elaborate design of ivy and flowers.

"Wow..." Was what came from Naruto's gaping mouth first.

A voice responded to that wow.

"Thanks, long time no see."

Naruto's eyes went directly to the source of the voice.

_Of course it's her, who else would wield such a weapon._

Naruto willed himself to say a complete sentence with the daggers still in his hands.

"Indeed it has been, Tsunada-baachan."

* * *

Well there you have my latest chapter, it was near the time I said it would be so close enough. And...

**Sorry Sorry So Sorry!!!!**

Ok now that I have apologized I will explain my apology. I was rereading the old chapters of the story to just make sure some things came together and I came across the fact that a section I had written was missing from the story. So I rechecked the original work and found it, so I reuploaded P1:C6 with the new part it had been missing. The scene wasn't that long but will be important in the upcoming chapter. Again sorry that I made that goof and it took this long to catch it.

Yeah, so reread that chapter if you want, also feel free to review I may not require reviews but they are always appreciated, especially my last batch i got some really nice ones thanks to everyone who reviews you make my day.

Expected update time in the usual spot.


	16. P2:C3: Bought Time

i dont own Naruto

"speaking"

_thinking_

* * *

P2 C3

The fist press against his cheek was hard as a stone. And that stone just slammed his torso straight through a tree. The kindling of the chattered tree was strewn across the ground with a body underneath.

"You are slacking Naruto." Tsunade said with a laugh.

"How will you ever extract information from me if this is all you can do?"

The blonde soldier struggled to get up from underneath the timber. His body wasn't nearly in the shape it should have been. He was still malnourished and scrawny, and his muscles were soar from not being in use for a while. But Naruto wouldn't except that and expected his self to be just as limber and strong as he was against Ichibi.

"I don't want to fight you Baachan..." _Not that I can right now anyway. I won't say that...but being who she is, she will know._

"Come now, of course you do. Otherwise I won't tell you anything. But if you won't fight I will just pound on you then. It has been a while since I last did that."

Tsunade gave Naruto a wicked grin, one that she reserved just for him. The effect of which always got the desired result, the cowering of one of the world's best.

* * *

Tsunade restrained herself so much to not kill the poor fool for calling her baachan again, oh how she hated that name, but forced her urge down at seeing him pinned to the tree in such a matter.

"Naruto...after our time apart this is how I am greeted? Seeing you in such a helpless state?"

Staring into her eyes trying to get his message of helplessness across to her without having to say it, Naruto started to whimper.

"Don't make that noise at me boy!"

Naruto continued with his doggy whimpers.

"Fine you stupid man, I will get you down." She took her sweet time sauntering over to the bound seraphim, taking in his changes since she last saw him. His weakened state, the raggedness of his clothes, and the overall sadness of his aura all jumped at her screaming that he needed help, and with more than being tied to a tree.

In a swift move she pulled the dagger from his hands freeing them from their prison. She took the dagger and then cut the roped holding his torso to the tree.

"Thank you Baachan."

Her hold on the dagger tightened. How easy would it be to just slit his throat so he never called her that again?

"Could you heal my hands for me?"

Tsunade looked at his hands to see just how bad they were. And it wasn't, no bone was hit it was mostly just a lot of blood. With a small wave of her hand over his the wood was sealed up and good as new.

"I will never know how you are so good at that." Naruto said in wonder as he examined his hands.

"And I will never tell you. Ok Naruto what are you doing out here, and who were those guys, and where is your sword I know for a fact TenTen slaved over that diamond sword for you and you don't even have the decency to wear it?"

Naruto waved his hands in front of his face in defense.

"One at a time please."

"Sorry forgot you couldn't handle two thoughts a once."

"...Low blow."

Tsunade smiled in triumph.

"I was just out here taking a walk in the night to recharge myself so to speak. And these guys jumped me; I have no idea who they are. As to where to sword is, it is back with Shikamaru I believe...I never did ask Kiba if he got it when he rescued me...I should do that..."

"I thought you needed them one at a time?"

"Ha ha, I remembered."

"Barely."

"My turn for questions?"

"You said that in the form of a question so I guess it is."

Naruto laughed slightly.

"What are you doing out here Baachan? I mean this is so far away from Konohagakure."

"I came looking for you, actually."

"Really?"

"Yes I have some information for you."

Naruto looked dejected. He had hoped the reason was more than just information.

"Well let's hear it then."

Tsunade smiled one of her sinister grins at Naruto.

"You know that isn't how I work."

"Fuck..." Was all that escaped Naruto's mouth before Tsunade hit him in the chest forcing him back.

"Tsunade I can't do this right now."

The princess's smile got bigger.

"Can't or Won't?"

"Oh you know I would love to put you in your place Baachan, but I can't."

Baachan again, she couldn't stand it. So she took her fist and forced it against his cheek. Making him fly through a tree making small pieces be strewn everywhere.

"You are slacking Naruto, how will you ever extract information from me if this is all you can?"

Naruto forced his weak body out from under the debris.

"I don't want to fight you Baachan..."

"Come now, of course you do. Otherwise I won't tell you anything. But if you won't fight I will just pound on you then. It has been a while since I last did that."

Her smile was sadistic; no one would not wet themselves a little out of fear.

She changed hard and fast, her fist raised high.

"Tsunade-hime, please..."

The name caught her and she stopped dead in her tracks.

"Naruto?"

"Please, I don't have the will to do this right now. I don't care what the information is; give it to Shikamaru if you have to."

Tsunade's face went from evil psycho killer bitch to concerned mother figure.

"Naruto, what has you like this?"

Naruto raised his eyes to meet hers again and this time she saw more of the hurt then last she looked. His eyes radiated pain from the dark depths of its oceans of site.

"It is that girl isn't it?"

"How...how did you know?"

"I talked to Shikamaru. So you still haven't gotten your resolve to fight back?"

"No..." Naruto said this with as much pain in his voice as if he was talking of his beloved. He was very aware of the consequences of not wanting to fight, possible extinction of the human race and the death of the world. Unfortunately that was the case, he had no will to fight and it pained him greatly.

"Too bad, because you know the information I had?"

"Yeah..." He replied out of curtsey even though he wasn't paying attention, the response had just been reflex.

"It involved that Haruno g..."

There is a phrase used often by people when something moves and they didn't see it, I blinked and missed it. Well from that day forward Tsunade would swear on pain of death she didn't blink. The very moment that Haruno left her mouth she was pinned to the ground with far more weight pressed against her then this person should be producing.

Naruto was holding her shoulders to the dirt with all the strength he could muster. The pain in his eyes had been replaced by fire. They burned with a fury usually only witnessed when staring into a demon's eyes.

Naruto spoke slow and loud to make sure Tsunade got every word with no possibility of mishearing.

"What..Do..You..Know..Of..Sakura?"

Man did Tsunade love this kid, his emotions were so wild and you could never predict what this hyperactive maniac would do next. He goes from being weaker than a small child to having more vigor and strength than ever she knew him to have, and it was all ascertained in his eyes, that is if he wasn't pinning you down. She could read him so easy.

"Who is Sakura?" Tsunade asked with a smile.

"Don't..Fuck..With...Me...Tsunade...You knew her family name, you know her name. WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!"

"Now now Naruto let Tsunade-shishou up."

Naruto could have been blinded by rage at the moment, he could have been in a battle of his life, heck he could have been in a cave covered in rocks with paper in his ears he would still have heard it. That voice. That lyrical melody that dripped from the tongues of angels could only belong to one person in the whole entirety of the cosmos.

His movements were slow, he didn't want to move to fast and make it scared and run off. He had to make sure they were really there; he also made to prepare himself for possible let down even when his heart said there was no way it was anyone else.

The eyes of infinite oceans met those of the deepest jungles. It was her, and no one else but her.

"...Sakura-chan?"

"Hey baka."

A haze was cast over Naruto forcing everything from his mind but her. There she was, she looked so different but so very much the same radiant wonder he had known.

The way she held herself seemed different, not to mention the very garb she was adorned in. She wore a brown leather trench coat that moved in the breeze. The coat was open with no visible way of closing, but underneath the material of dead cows was a cotton pink top. She also wore a black skirt of some kind accompanied by black boots.

It was an odd site with the moon as a backdrop, but even in those clearly custom clothes she looked right.

Across the skirt was a belt that held an assortment of daggers and scrolls. And hanging onto her back was a holder of some kind, a simple ring of leather with a clip made to carry something.

"So Naruto are you going to stare at me all day or are you gonna get off Shishou and come give me a hug?"

Naruto's legs slowly began to lift his body off the ground. Tsunade was now released of the pressure of Naruto, and calmly watched the scene unfold before her.

One foot was placed in front of the other. Naruto was planning on walking in a silent shock to Sakura. But his plan didn't come to fruition, his body caved. It just couldn't handle all it had been put through that day. The long walking, the attack, the blood loss, then Tsunade's pounding, and finally the emotional overload of seeing Sakura alive, his body gave a defiant no and shut off.

He couldn't even hear Tsunade's comment of his idiocy.

* * *

The pillow was soft. Naruto hadn't felt something this comfortable before.

_Man I love my new pillow, it is firm yet so soft. I guess a cloud with a steel frame is a good way to explain it...Wait...pillow?_

Naruto's eyes slowly found renewed strength, from his prior fall. Oh and what a glorious site they did gaze upon with their new energy.

Sakura's smiling face was gazing at him. Her soft smile so full of love and comfort. Her eyes spoke of a conviction to protect what she saw. And just her face in general, Aphrodite be damned this woman was the most beautiful.

"Sakura-chan?" Naruto asked holding back swelling tears at seeing her in such wonder.

"Hi Naruto." She replied. She wanted him to move first, she knew of his pain and wanted to relieve it but not to overload him to quick.

Naruto raised his hand and cupped her cheek so gently like he was trying to not crush a flower. He smiled as he touched her and found her solid and real. The tears were just about to break his damn.

"You're...you're alive?"

Her voice was gentle.

"Yeah..."

And the damn broke.

And she returned the tears, crying for the joy of seeing each other. She embraced him in a strong hug, and he latched on tight making sure she didn't leave this time.

Time stood as still as it could for the two, but time can get impatient when it can't budge an inch. And eventually time twitched in the form of a cough.

"Not to break you too up but I am here and a person can only not exist so long."

Sakura quickly detached leaving Naruto a bit bewildered.

"Sorry Shishou."

Naruto looked at Tsunade with inquisitive eyes. But that question is for later.

Naruto was going to start the question and conversation that had to be said to settle his mind. But he was never quick on the word thing.

"So is my lap a good pillow?"

_Lap equal pillow? OH._

His head was up and he was in a sitting position now.

"Um...sorry."

"No worries, it wasn't too bad."

He tried again, but damn his luck.

"So Naruto I guess you would be interested to know where we are." Tsunade said.

"Little bit, but actually..."

"Well we are in Sakura and my camp."

Naruto did notice a make shift shelter and a fire, but who cared.

"Fascinating, but..."

"We had to drag your fat ass back here cause you went comatose on us."

"Yeah sorry, but..."

"Well I'm sure you have a tone of questions."

"YES AND I WANT TO ASK THEM!" Naruto yelled at his adoptive grandmother.

A quick slapped was put upon Naruto's head by Sakura.

"Don't talk to a princess in such a manner."

"I don't care if she is a queen! She is a mean old cranky bitch!"

Tsunade stood up seething.

"Naru..." He finally got the cut off.

"I just want to know how you survived." He said it so sweetly looking at Sakura that Tsunade quickly forgot her anger and sat.

"I know, and I am so sorry about your thoughts that I was dead I know it was tough on you."

"It doesn't matter what pain I went through as long as you are alive it was worth it."

"No it does matter, I shouldn't have done that to you."

"No really your life was all that mattered."

"No..."

Tsunade stopped this fast.

"Not that the game of No You are More Important isn't fun and all, but get back to the point."

"Right Shishou."

Sakura took a moment to stare at her feet, collecting her resolve as well as her train of thought. Her site rose and connected with Naruto's she had to make sure she was looking at him to say it.

"I am alive by...means I have no knowledge of."

"What?" Naruto was shocked and his face didn't hide it at all. And Sakura saw it and heard his surprise.

"Please let me continue."

"Right sorry."

"The building was coming down, and I felt something hit my head and I went out. I believe I gained consciousness again and saw a pair of white plate boots, also a voice speaking of a bird."

_A __bird,__ and white armor?_

"I'm not sure I saw or heard that at all though, it is just fuzzy. When I woke up for real I found myself on a boat going away from the city with Tsunade-shishou watching over me."

Naruto looked to the blonde woman.

"I found her asleep by a tree. So I picked her up and took her with me."

"Interesting... But why wasn't I told you were alive? Did I really need to be kept in the dark?"

Sakura turned away from him, she couldn't bear to look at him it would just make her feel worse.

"I am sorry Naruto but..."

Tsunade took charge at seeing the girl in such a state.

"I took her as my apprentice Naruto."

Naruto nodded his head thinking for a moment.

"Alright, fair enough."

Sakura was shocked to say the least. That was not what she was expecting his reaction to be, for such a simple excuse as to why he suffered so he sure did take it well.

"I must say Naruto you are taking that reason really well."

"I understand it, known Tsunade-baachan long enough to get it."

"Ok..."

"Well then that is all I needed to know."

Naruto looked to Sakura smiling, just being back in her presence made his soul feel so much lighter. But damn Pain for being right, the damn basterd was always right."There is something else..." This wasn't hard for Sakura to say emotionally but it was sure going to be hard to explain period.

"Naruto I have been having these weird dreams..."

Naruto hopped off the ground in shock.

"Not Zodiac again?!" Naruto was hopping they had been done with that guy.

"No no, not that."

He calmed down but remained standing.

"It started actually a little after I met you. It was on the way back to my village after my little explosion at the castle. It was weird all I could comprehend was pain and it was terrible like nails on my heart. Slowly I formed myself and was in some grand room in a very comfy chair. And so was the pain then the dream ended. The next time it happened was on the way to the Gaara's village. I felt the pain expand to my lungs like something was eating my lungs as well. I discovered myself in a room filled with people in elaborate ball gowns and fancy suits, like a grand gala. I was also crying...but not because I was in pain, something else. Someone was approaching then it went out again. The third encounter of this dream sequence was the day Tsunade initiated my training. I was in the chair again...

_Damn I loathe this chair with every fiber of my writhing being. I can't stop it but somehow I have no want to stop it. __A warm sensation?__ Is this the pain growing? __Kami__ I couldn't handle it getting more infinite. __A warm squeeze?__ Interlocking...a hand! Someone has taken my hand. I can't face them, I can't let them know of my suffering, a party is a party and I can't ruin it. I feel their prying eye; it is almost as intense as the pain if even possible. But I can never return that gaze; I would just rather return to nothingness of pain and pass out..._

...The final one came about 2 weeks ago and it was by far the worst...

_Cold, cold and hard.__ No...__warm__Warm, sticky and hard.__ Have I lost so much to my suffering that I can't distinguish feelings anymore? No then I wouldn't mind the pain. Now I am floating? Have I returned to nothingness or am I simply being carried? I will go with carried for the sensation of arms is upon me. They are speaking to me, offering consoling words...Do they know? Is my pain so visual everyone can read it without so much as an utter from my dyeing mouth? NO! It grows again! Glass is the only way to describe it...my inside are trying to digest __glass but can't so it only tears me up instead.__Make it leave...no wait don't make it leave...why don't I want it to leave? __Feathers.__No feathers aren't a reason...are they?__ No feathers is the feeling, I am on feathers. Is someone still talking to me? I __hear something, but the pain is__ too strong to listen. I can't hold on...Gone? The pain is gone?_

...And then I woke up."

Naruto had held on to every word. The dreams intrigued him, what could they be?

"Any ideas?"

"Not of yet." He responded, he would need to do some research before giving her any say.

Naruto kept clam for his question.

"Is that all that needs to be asked?"

Sakura looked a little puzzled.

"Yes, why?"

"I just wanted to know if I could get back to holding you and making sure you are real."

Sakura blushed at that and turned away, but nodded her head to say it was ok.

The two embraced each other and lied down looking to the sky. Tsunade would let them have their time and went for a walk.

The couple stayed up late just talking, he told her of the inner goings in his mind while he was out of it. She apologized profusely for that, but he said no harm. She then told of her training. And randomly apologized for thinking he never cried, Naruto didn't know what that was in reference to. They were like that for hours.

* * *

Sakura had fallen asleep an hour ago, and Naruto had been holding her the whole time watching the sky.

"So glad she is alive?"

Naruto didn't even look to Tsunade to respond.

"Unbelievably."

"She is surprised at how easily you took her reason."

"I know that you can't reveal when you take an apprentice. The demons don't want you passing on your power so they try to kill any you take. I'm glad you kept it secret."

"I told her you would understand but she was sure you would need a better reason."

Naruto gave a soft laugh.

"So any thoughts?" Tsunade asked.

"About her savior or about the dreams?"

"Both."

"Her savior…I would venture a guess at a prior threat but no way to be sure without confronting him. And if it turned out to be true I wouldn't know if I should kill him or hug him…"

"And the dreams?"

"I need to do some research when we get to Konohagakure."

"Well our library is always welcome to you. But first we will have to get the plan moving. We need to see Shikamaru then meet up with The Council."

"Shikamaru is going to kill me for not coming back tonight."

"Well we can go back first thing tomorrow."

"No I have something I must do first. Back in that village."

"Really?"

"Yes but that is for tomorrow...or today...I don't know the time."

Tsunade walked over to her make shift shelter to sleep. And Naruto pulled Sakura closer to him and drifted off.

* * *

"Interesting..."

"My lord?"

"Oh it seems his girlfriend is still alive. Ichibi is more incompetent than i thought."

"Does this hinder the plan Kyubi-sama?""Not a bit. But put Rokubi on hi alert."

"Sir?"

"Just do it."

"Of course."

The underling creature quickly left the head demon to his own devices.

"So Naruto what will be your next move?"

* * *

So where do i start with the apologies on how late i was? This chapter was hard to write, hence how much shorter it is then usual. Also alot of stuff happened, wont go into to but really i am sorry about the delay.

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and yes she wasn't dead. How can i make a sak/nar story with half the main people gone? So there is alot going on there not explained and that i on purpose, but feel free to ask about any of it. And personaly i must say i liked the Tsunada's line "a person can only not exist so long" i think it applied to sakura, took her long enough to return.

So sorry again about the delay, but yes review if you enjoyed it. If you dont review i will take it you still like it anyway because you are at least reading it. Thanks for the reviews last chapter also. Till next i type

(chapter reloaded few corrections in spellings)


	17. P2:C4: Igam Gnilevart

I dont own Naruto

"speaking"

_thoughts_

* * *

P2:C4

Flight can be fun but it puts terrible strain on the body and uses so much energy that it would simply be easier and less tiring to run the circumference of the earth 8 times in succession than to fly for even 5 minutes. A prominent reason Naruto has always saved that for an only if situation. He has always been a fan of free falling over flying anyway. Get high enough and just fall without so much as a care. He muses to himself now and then that a free fall was his life in a nut shell. The exhilarating experience of it accompanied with the fairly fun times. But it all builds up in anticipation for the final smash on the ground below. Everything that happened culminating in the one moment where everything you are is tested to see if you will survive. And Naruto had never heard of someone surviving a fall from the heavens, and neither had someone survived what he must attempt. But he would admit to himself that he is not ready for that part of the free fall yet. He had too much to do, too much to prepare, too much left unsaid to her...So he simply would rewind his dream to back to the start of the free fall and enjoyed the experience all over again.

_Mmmm__ Sakura..._ Naruto's mind was in a state of fatigue and miscomprehension. He unknowingly brought his arms together to pull his lovely pink plushy closer to his exhausted body, but nothing was there.

_Sakura?_

"Sakura?!" Naruto sprang as quick as his body would allow; it was still peeved about yesterday apparently though.

His eyes search fast and frantic for the focal point of his dreams and drive. Naruto might as well have kept his eyes shut for she was nowhere to behold.

_Did I dream it all, could I have been so desperate for her that I would have dreamt up last night?_

In the heightened sense of anxiety that Naruto had found himself in he heard it, the most subtle of noises, he would hear it all right now just to prove he wasn't just dreaming mad thoughts.

With a yawn stretching a mouth to the very limits, Tsunade rose up out of her make shift shelter.

"Damn was I tired..."

"BAACHAN!" Naruto yelled in panic, making the princess's eye twitch ever so much.

"What?"

"WHERE IS SAKURA-CHAN!?"

"Sakura?" Tsunade had to think for a moment, forcing Naruto's eyes to bug out in a frenzy of panic, worry, and depression.

"So it is true then...I made it up, she isn't alive..." Naruto mumbled to himself.

A small hole was almost found in the ground from where Tsunade's jaw was going to hit from seeing the stupidity of this adopted family member.

"YOU DUMBASS!"

The booming sound waves coming from Tsunade toppled Naruto in fear.

"Just because I said her name like that didn't by any means mean you imagined anything about last night! I was just trying to think of where she might be!"

Hearing that from Tsunade's mouth in no matter how angry a tone calmed Naruto a great extent. He contemplated jumping for joy, but thought better of it.

"If you are going to think like that anytime she isn't around I think she might be better off without such a worry wart."

"Ouch Baachan...ok but don't I have justification currently?"

He was right; he had reason to be worried and fearful but just this time.

"Ok just this once is your stupidity alright."

"Well then where is she?"

"I think she trains right now...want to go watch?"

"Course."

* * *

It didn't take long to find the missing Haruno. She was the only pink in a haze of grays and browns. She was like a blooming flower in winter in Naruto's mind, if that winter gave no snow and made the ground a dry husk.

The pair got to the girl as she was doing cool down stretches.

"See Naruto, she understands the purpose to stretch before and after training. Something you could never seem to grasp."

"Oh ha-ha."

Naruto's site never left Sakura. Her face was glistening with beads of sweat, and her legs looked like they could hardly keep her up while she stretched. And even in that state he found her radiating beauty and grace.

_Wow..._

"How is she?"

"In which way?"

"I don't know...in any way."

"Well, I will say this for her. She has more latent battle prowess than any person I have ever met."

Naruto didn't let his face betray him, for if he did that would involve looking away but he was not letting that flower out of his site right now.

"Really?"

"Yes...when I met her and TenTen gave her the ring weapon she said it represented Sakura being a complete person. As such I figured a complete person would not have fantastic battle abilities but she showed great resolve so I decided to teach basic fighting and weapon technique and mainly focus on healing magics. Also assuming that a complete person had an access to some depths of magic. But when I started the training I found her magic capabilities to be next to null and when I gauged her fighting I saw potential beyond my wildest dreams. So I inverted the lesson plan, heavy combat, light healing. And I must say, if she had been training for as long as you have, you wouldn't stand a chance in a fair fight. Granted she could never beat you in a fight with no limits due to your seraphim powers, but still... Well the point is we don't know how strong she could have been."

Naruto stood somber and collected, almost in complete objection to himself.

_Dreams of a courtly life and pain beyond contestation, and latent fighting abilities that would have made her the pinnacle of a warrior…more and more interesting…_

"Naruto?"

"What does she work so hard for?" Naruto asked with his curiosity peaked.

"What for? Are you really this dumb or are you a just one fabulous performer?"

"You know you could really hurt my pride if you keep with those insults."

"Good, that is what I was working toward. But she is training for you obviously."

"What? I never asked her to do such a thing for me."

"She doesn't want to be your Achilles heel. Sakura is working hard to be able to fight beside you and make a difference in this word. Her words to me on the subject were that she wanted to make your dream a reality."

Naruto was holding his emotions in well that day, his face had yet to betray a thing, since he was feeling so overwhelmed that she would do such a thing for him. It wasn't that he was trying to be macho currently it was that show Tsunade a sign of weakness and she will make fun of you for it until she gets drunk and forgets it.

"She didn't have to do any of that. Just her being with me is all the support I needed from her."

"That is all _you_ might have needed, but what about what _she_ wanted? She wanted to join you on the battlefield in all its glory, to guard your back instead of just watching it. Don't discourage her path choice now."

"I would never do such a thing as to discourage her from what she wants. I just didn't think it was necessary, she was never a burden…"

"You don't call thinking her dead and carrying her death around making you incapable of fighting a burden?"

"Um…"

"See now you won't have to be like that, for she can protect herself."

"With her fist or her ring?"

"Both I guess." Tsunade said chuckling.

"So how is that ring blade?"

"I first believed it to be a defensive weapon I had never heard of a fighting circle, but that girl has turned it into a weapon that will strike terror in more than one heart. And the way she wields it, as beautiful a dance as your sword play."

Naruto's soft smile he had adorned on his face the whole time watching his love, grew huge.

"So good then?"

"Yes you idiot."

The pair laughed with each other at the sheer stupidity of the question. They calmed down soon and grew quite as Sakura was finishing her final stretch.

Tsunade twitched a little as Sakura performed this, and Naruto caught the twitch but not the reason for it. Sakura was coming back up and in as fluid motion as a river she grabbed her ring blade and sent it whizzing toward the vantage point of her spectators.

Tsunade reacted all too well, clearly expecting the attack. As the whizzing sound approached fast, she shoved Naruto out of the way and jumped at the same time. The blade reached where Tsunade and Naruto had just been, and as it started to go past Tsunade landed on top of it. The blade then began the process of returning to Sakura as if she had thrown a boomerang. The fact Tsunade didn't throw up from all the spinning she was doing was amazing to Naruto in itself. Let alone actually landing perfectly on it and keeping her balance. But that was the princess for you.

Least anyone would say about Sakura at seeing her master come spinning back at her was she was shocked. When Tsunade was within 4 yards of Sakura she shoved the disk down below herself towards the ground, but keeping her going straight at full force. She went just long enough to get to Sakura's face and plant one nice fist into her soon to be swollen nose.

"SHAMEFULL!" was what Tsunade said the moment she stopped going forward and landed on the ground.

"See how easily I countered that. And to think I was able to do that twice now and you still get shocked as hell when seeing it. How will you ever be able to keep fighting if the opponent does something like that then hits you with say a mace and not a fist?"

Sakura wobbled back to her feet. Her work out had been intense and now this?

"That was anything but an easy counter that was possibly the most unnecessary way to counter! Also you don't count shishou, considering you taught me almost all I know of course you can counter me."

"No excuses! And no talking back to your sensei. If the opponent knows your moves then think up some new ones…As punishment for your shortcomings stand on your hands till I say otherwise."

"What?!"

"I said no back talk…NOW!"

Sakura quickly jumped to her hands, afraid to disobey her very threatening master's orders.

Naruto had recovered from the very forceful show, to see the way Tsunade handled her training. It looked like she might be a bit too severe.

_Although I don't have much to say considering some of the things __Ero-sennin__ would make me do as punishment or just training in general. That thing with the rocks was brutal…but still I should say something._

Cautiously and hopefully not to draw the fully illogical wrath of Tsunade, Naruto came into the clearing.

"Um…hey?" Naruto took care not to call her by the name he so avidly used.

"What Naruto?"

"Don't you think the punishment doesn't really fit the crime?"

"Oh Naruto it is all right don't worry about me." Sakura said trying to defend her sensei's actions. But she became very aware all of a sudden that her clothing was slipping down.

_Shit…I really hope Naruto doesn't notice…_

And as the person he was, he did see. And in his head was giggling wildly seeing one perverted thought after the other. But in the presence of Tsunade, a perv might as well have been a baby rapist.

"Ok Naruto as Sakura does her time, tell us what is the day's agenda?"

Sakura strained to look and try to be an avid part of the conversation despite her little predicament.

"Wasn't it to meet up with Shikamaru-san?"

"It was but Naruto last night said there was something else first, right?"

Naruto nodded his head.

"That is right; there is something I must correct in the town nearby. And seeing as he issued my warning last night I think I must oblige."

"I thought you didn't know the people that attacked you?"

"Keep up Sakura, Naruto said that to make people listening, such as yourself, think otherwise."

The pink haired girl fell silent at her mistake; she didn't want to make another in front of her master.

"It is alright Sakura don't worry." Naruto comforted her with a sweet smile.

"So what will we need to do Naruto?"

"You and Sakura will just keep his other underlings occupied, don't kill them unless absolutely necessary. And I will deal with him on the stage."

Tsunade's face grew a look of puzzlement.

"Stage? Just exactly are we doing?"

Naruto grew a sinister smile and turned around and returned to camp to gather the few things he had.

* * *

"Welcome all of you to the final performance of out traveling show featuring, THE SERAPHIM OF FIRE!"

The crowd roared with applause. Four days of a traveling magi group, and 2 shows featuring a seraphim, this town was surely blessed this year.

Supernova and Ember were standing on stage getting everyone as riled as they possibly could. There had been no word from Fire and the others, but they weren't worried in the slightest, no one short of a seraphim them self could beat those three.

"You all want to best show ever correct?"

The crowd roared yes.

"We will then do this a noon when the sun is highest in the sky."

"For here he is too field your question himself, the one…the only…"

And in perfect unison Ember and Supernova cried "THE FIRE SERAPHIM!"

The two quickly exited the stage as the imposter walked to the center to engage the crowd in conversation and questions until noon. Now he had no knowledge if the sun at noon really made him stronger or not, but the concept was sound enough so he would role with it.

"HELLO ALL!"

* * *

"So this is it then Naruto?" Sakura asked looking at the back side of a large wooden wall.

"Yup, now remember just hold off his two guards…"

"How can you hold us off when we get the drop…"

They might have cut Naruto off as they jumped at the group but now they were afraid to talk all of a sudden as the two women who had accompanied the gentleman now had them both pinned to the wall. One smaller girl with pink hair was holding Ember to the wall with a giant ring, and the other was holding Supernova with nothing more than her finger.

"Thanks for that guys." Naruto said with a smile.

"Now then you two…" They both swallowed hard in their throats. They had all but forgotten they could shoot fire if they wanted.

"…when would be a good time to go on stage?"

Ember fielded the question without any sort of torture at all.

"He will ask if someone wants to challenge him soon, go on then."

"EMBER!"

"No fuck this Supernova, I am not willing to die for him."

Tsunade patted him on the head with her free hand. "Good boy."

"Ok so considering that was easy…tie them up."

The group of three now waited patiently on the side of the stage stairs waiting for Naruto to have his signal.

* * *

"Ok I know there are probably millions more questions you could ask me. But for now I will put those on hold, since it seems to be high noon."

The crowd started to mumble excitedly.

"Before I begin, I know there were a few that doubted my authenticity."

"NO WE DON'T" a random audience member shouted.

"Thank you then, but in all fairness, I wish for anyone who thinks me not The Seraphim of Fire, to come forward to challenge me and back up their claim."

No one in the audience so much as made a peep in fear of thinking it could be interpreted as a challenge, for what sane person would attack an angel of magic.

"I will take a whack at it…"

* * *

Naruto was waiting patiently for the moment, and could almost not stand it. Some of the questions asked were just stupid and his answers ever worse. Like what was with saying all the seraphim wear special best friend anklets, how stupid can you be. The seraphim hardly have a best friend in the bunch. Naruto liked Kakashi, and Gara could almost be considered a younger brother, but Itachi was weird, and Pein was an asshole. And he could see them all thinking of him in similar fashions.

"…I wish for anyone who thinks me not The Seraphim of Fire, to come forward to challenge me and back up their claim."

After a brief silence, Naruto decided it was time.

"I will take a whack at it, and prove you have no right to that title." Naruto said as he ascended the stairs and came upon the stage.

"And who are you?" The fake said with clear distain in his voice, he thought for sure no one would actually have the balls to get on stage.

"I am Uzumaki Naruto."

_Naruto?__The guy from the other day?__ So those idiots failed?_

"Alright Naruto, but be warned you could die…And everyone do not think any less of The Seraphim if he should lose his life."

A grin slowly formed on Naruto's face.

_Loophole._

"Do you swear you are a seraphim?"

"What? Of course, and this challenge will prove it!"

"But do you swear before Kami that you are and will forever until death be the Seraphim of Fire?"

"Yes! Now are you ready?"

"Of course."

Quickly the false one brought a cloud of fire from the air down upon Naruto, effortlessly crushing him.

"Over already….sad."

The crowd didn't cheer, who would cheer seeing someone killed so?

But the fire didn't dissipate; it swirled quickly and then shot straight back at the fake.

He jumped high to miss it and was surprised to see Naruto standing firm unharmed.

"Big guns then."

As he came falling back down, he shoot 30 some odd balls of fire at Naruto. Who effortlessly caught all of them and started to juggle them. And as the balls hit each other they formed together to make bigger balls until they were but one. Naruto then threw it straight towards The Seraphim's face. The ball came fast so he quickly dispelled his magic.

For the next attack the seraphim started to run in circle creating a vortex of fire in the center of his running path. He stopped quickly behind the spiral and thrusting his hands forward forced the vortex at Naruto who took it in strides.

The vortex hit but did nothing; in fact it reduced in size to that but a simple ring which Naruto was currently using as a hula-hoop.

"YOU MOOK ME!"

"Yup."

The hoop disappeared into the air leaving Naruto standing his ground still

"Shishou?"

"Yes Sakura?"

Sakura had of course watched the fight and was now overly curious.

"I didn't know Naruto could manipulate fire so easily."

Tsunade patted her apprentice on her shoulder in matter assuring her that Sakura was wrong and he was fabulous at it.

"Sakura…he can't" She said as she started to laugh.

"What?"

"He could never manipulate it at all." She was practically cracking up uncontrollably now.

"Then…"

"Shut up and you will learn something."

The false seraphim had begun a long chant of an ancient dialect and collecting his energies to his mouth. He assumed he could use it since this joker wasn't attacking himself.

"Living Dragon Breath!" He shouted, and inhaled a large quantity of air, and exhaled and greatly detailed dragon. It really looked sentient.

It made a b line right for Naruto.

_Kill this fool…_

Naruto waved his hand at the dragon before it hit, directing it to the air. He started making it dance about in the sky as he moved his hand about. Naruto even started to make it circle about his opponent a few times to keep him from doing anything. And no matter what he tried Naruto's challenger could not get control back, until Naruto dropped his hand unexpectedly, making the dragon again go right at him. But this time not only did it hit, it got him right dead center of the face. But the dragon should have kept its path, hitting the target and traveling through, but this one stopped and seemed to disappear at his face. As it wisped away all the way to the tail, people saw that Naruto had in fact supposedly eaten it.

"Tasty what else you got?"

"Just you wait, how bought my very best?"

"Dandy, I will give you time."

That would be his down fall, this one not one person have ever even lived long enough to make a single breath after being hit with the full technique.

The fire fighter slowly burned a ruin circle into the stage and stepped into the center. He sat Indian style and began a long mantra. The circle quickly glowed red. And he stood back up, triumphed etched into his smile.

He brought his arms as far back as possible.

"Goodbye!"

He thrust them forward expecting a phoenix to come forth to hit the opponent, the phoenix would then die and cover the person in ash, then resurrect inside the person thus tearing them apart as it came back out, all the while burning the flesh.

But no fire came out of his hands, let alone a phoenix. And all Naruto had done was raised one hand and pointed it at him.

Naruto's smile was one of victory.

"Yield." Naruto commanded and the opponent did just that, no way was he any match for this ultimate fire master.

The spectators didn't know what to say, they got the most incredible fire show they had ever seen. Yet the person who did it all lost to a man who did little more than raise his hands. Should they cheer for the new guy, should they get angry at this supposed seraphim loosing without so much as forcing an attack? They didn't know.

"Admit it!"

The loser bowed his head and said what he kept denying. "I am not The Elemental Seraphim of Fire…but how did you know…unless you…"

"No I am not the seraphim of fire either."

"Then how?"

"Well first and foremost…a seraphim wouldn't go around broadcasting like that especially at the current time when the demon's are on a man hunt for them! Do you have any idea what harm you could have brought this village if a demon came looking for a supposed seraphim?!"

"I didn't think of that…"

"Secondly, you do not possess the Sharingan, a special eye of the Fire Seraphim. And finally I have met the Seraphim of Fire. His name is Itachi, and you look nothing alike."

"Itachi…"

The man was so downcast now.

"At least tell me how you could do that with fire? How are you so proficient in it that you can stop it from leaving me at all?"

"I have no power what so ever to use fire magic's."

"What, but everyone just saw…"

"You know the wind is a funny thing, if you move the molecules in the air around so that there is not oxygen's, hydrogen's, nitrogen's…damn there are others but that is all I recall Shikamaru telling me about…I guess because they all ended the same is why I remembered those ones…I should ask him about that again considering it was his concept…but back to the point, move those molecules away from where you want it and fire has nothing to ignite. Similarly moving those in certain patterns I can basically bend it to my will, making fire follow the molecules. Also it is for that reason that the Seraphim of Fire came up with a black fire that will burn no matter what, and the fact you didn't catch what I was doing and use that… well another valid reason you aren't the Seraphim."

"The wind did all that?"

"Yup." Naruto said smiling impressed that he was able to teach someone something he almost had no idea about, Shikamaru had explained it to him the concept to him, and Naruto had always move the particles by instinct.

"Now I got to get going, just had to reveal you, but first what is your real name?"

"Daisuke…"

"Well then Daisuke go out and be yourself, don't rely on someone else's name as your own credit, you are a powerful wizard in your own right."

With that Naruto turned and exited the stage, now it's time to hear Shikamaru's complaining. He might not say a lot but in what he does say he can make you feel like shit about yourself in just 3 words, and Naruto was not looking forward to it.

* * *

"Disappointed."

Naruto was hiding his eyes; it made no sense to be doing it. But he was afraid to look at Shikamaru right now.

"I am not angry, just disappointed."

_Why the hell do people say that?! I would rather have you just angry, disappointed makes me feel so much worse…_

"I have a good excuse." Naruto replied trying to make it better for himself.

"What could you possibly say Naruto that justifies staying out all night?!" Ino ask or shouted at him.

"Maybe he was out getting laid. I mean he was an inactive man for 6 months."

"Naruto isn't like you Kiba!"

"What if you had been killed Naruto?! What would we have done if your gloomy ass walked off a cliff or something!?"

_Wow Ino is mad…I bet she didn't like getting on __Shikamaru's__ bad side __for me not being here__…_

Naruto flailed his arms trying to get the verbal barrage to stop.

"So tell us, what possible reason could you have for just taking off for a day?"

Naruto turned and opened the door to the small house, and waved his companions in.

"Guys allow me to introduce…"

Shino immediately dropped to one knee and kneeled. His eyes turn down cast to not face the woman who just entered.

"Tsunade-hime."

Ino almost jump when seeing the sixth kingdom's princess here. She also dropped to a knee.

"Tsunade-hime."

Shikamaru looked lazily at the latest addition to the house hold.

_We don't have enough room for all these people…troublesome._

He moved from a position of lying on the chair to sitting up as his acknowledgement of her.

"Shit!" Was the word of surprise from Kiba as he freaked at the entrance of this woman, last he remembered he owed her money, and of course he didn't have it. So he did the only thing he could think of, run and hide in the next room.

Tsunade was already bored with the reactions. Whenever she entered a place it was almost always the same.

_I hate this…oh __well,__ it will be fun to see how they react to Sakura._

"You can all get up now. And Shikamaru thank you for the gesture of respect with sitting properly."

"I try."

"Quite."

Shino stood up and moved his form to that of a statue.

"Tsunade-hime, why do you grace us with your presence?"

"Well Shino, I came here to bring Naruto a gift, and get the plan The Council handed down underway."

"What gift?"

Tsunade stepped aside to reveal a very timid Sakura standing behind her. Sakura wasn't sure how to act in this crowd. Every single one of them seemed different and would probably handle her showing up differently.

"Hello…" She said with a small wave.

Ino's mouth practically fell off its hinges.

"Tsunade-hime? Why did you give Naruto a concubine with such a large forehead?"

"Naruto got what?!" Kiba screamed running back into the room.

Sakura started to twitch at the assumption that she was a whore.

"No guys that isn't…" Naruto wasn't able to defend her in time.

"YOU PIG I AM NOT A WHORE!" Sakura yelled at Ino as loud as humanly possible.

"What did you call me forehead?"

"I called you a pig!"

"So Sakura was alive?" Shikamaru asked before what he saw as a pointless troublesome fight escalated to dangerous proportions.

"How did you…"

Shikamaru stared at Naruto with the It's so Obvious Stare.

"Right it's you, I forgot there for a sec…Everyone meet Haruno Sakura."

Ino pointed at Sakura a bit confused and disappointed, "This is the beautiful girl Naruto fell in love with?"

"I am right here." Sakura said irritated.

"Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Ino asked still

"Yes…I mean no? Um…I don't know what I am supposed to be but I am currently with the living." Sakura said almost proud.

"This is the _beautiful _girl Naruto fell in love with?" Ino asked a second time, more infuses on the beautiful.

"You pig! Of course I am!"

"I didn't know that mountain sized foreheads were considered beautiful these days."

"Don't think I won't hurt you."

"Damn Naruto, nice." Kiba said taking all of Sakura in.

"Thanks…I guess." Naruto didn't know if he should take the complement or be insulted that Kiba was ogling her.

"So how did Haruno-san survive and without us knowing?" Shino asked still in the same position he had been from the start.

"Well that is a long story…" Naruto said not wanting to get into it.

"We got plenty of time." Kiba said thinking he was helping.

"Ok then, um we don't know how she survived and she is Tsunade's apprentice….Not so long after all."

Sakura still found it strange that everyone took the apprentice answer so easily. It seemed like that answer shouldn't hold water at all but everyone accepted it. But the survival answer, well that was another story.

"You don't know how you survived? So I guess a big forehead doesn't mean a big brain?"

"Pig, you better stop insulting me…"

"So who's thirsty?" Tsunade asked pulling a bottle of sake from her bag.

"I could go for some." Shikamaru said, not wanting to deal with these women.

* * *

The day was ending and everyone had filled themselves well with plenty of drink, food and conversation. Fortunately for everyone once the girls started drinking they stopped bitching at each other and had actually made friends, surprise what alcohol can do.

"So, we set out in the morning then?" Kiba asked yawning as he stood up stretching.

"Yeah." Naruto responded.

"Fan-fucking-tastic, well I am going to go piss and then head to sleep. So see you guys tomorrow." Kiba started to leave then Naruto remember something he needed to ask.

"Kiba, hey?"

"Yeah?'

"Do you have my word and my cox?" The sake had gotten to Naruto's system a bit.

"Your what?" Kiba asked surprised that Naruto asked for such a thing.

"My…my sword, and my fox?"

"Oh! Yeah that real amazing sword is back in the closet and Kurama… well I have no idea. I brought him here then…I can't remember."

"Dumb fox…Ok thanks Kiba."

"Sure."

Kiba walked off outside, to relieve himself and then sleep in a warm ball of animal fur.

Shino excused himself and went off to the back room, for what was assumed sleep but no one was ever sure with Shino, and his weird bug science.

"I gotta get out of these clothes!" Ino yelled, while practically tripping over herself standing. Then sauntered off, while she started to take off her shirt.

Before Tsunade could even get her odd look off, Shikamaru fielded that. "She sleeps naked, and when drunk forgets when is the right time to start taking the clothes off."

"Well I guess I will go to sleep on the couch. Tsunade feel free to take my bed, and Naruto?"

He raised his head to look at Shikamaru.

"I don't care where you sleep."

Naruto laughed a little and nodded.

"I will take my leave as well then, now Naruto don't take advantage of my apprentice now." Tsunade said jokingly, she knew he wasn't that kind of man. She headed off to the room given to her.

Naruto looked down to the peaceful face in his lap. Sakura had passed out about an hour ago, she was a light weight.

_Last night, I was where you are wasn't I?_

Naruto watched her sleep so peacefully with a look of pure contentment adorned on her face. Naruto softly smiled, moved some hair from her face, and put a soft kiss upon her cheek.

"Sleep well angel." Naruto said in her ear.

* * *

Everything was together and ready. Naruto was back in his old traveling cloak that he first met Sakura in, with Kongouseki Torune-do strapped fast to his back, and his necklace once again hanging from his neck.

"Well everyone, I will see you when I get to Konohagakure"

"Right." Kiba said. "Just get it done and don't die."

"Oh is that how it is supposed to happen?" Shikamaru asked.

"Shut up, he knows what I ment." Kiba said defensively.

"Oh right Naruto I have a gift for you to make to it a bit easier." Kiba said. He put his pinkies up to his mouth and whistled really loud. From behind the house came a loud rumbling, sounding like a stampede. A huge horse came out from the back, charging straight at Kiba. And without stopping the horse plowed straight into him then proceeded to stop. It was magnificent, it was a completely silver horse, but had an orange tail and mane. And its eyes gave everyone a look that spelled death if you crossed it. And as fortune smiled down today it seemed Kiba already put the saddle and reigns upon it.

"I got you a horse." Kiba said trying to get the wind back he just lost.

"His name is Cerberus." Kiba said smiling toward Naruto.

"Why is he called that? He doesn't have three heads."

Kiba leaned over to whisper into Naruto's ear.

"Because he is crazy."

Naruto whispered back.

"Like that is reason, you just couldn't deal with him so you are pawning him off, right?"

Kiba continued his smile and went back to his group.

"He should make traveling with stuff easier."

"I guess"

Naruto walked over to the horse, which so far didn't freak out. He assumed it was alright.

"Good Cerberus, you are a pretty horsy aren't you." Naruto said petting it. Then working up the courage he threw his pack of things onto the horse. And it didn't run.

_Ok then._

Naruto mounted the horse, and looked to everyone.

"Well we part here for now. Tsunade-baachan make sure these guys get there we will need them."

"I know their talents Baka, of course we will."

Sakura stood oddly at the side of the group. Not knowing if Naruto wanted her to go on this mission with her. She kind of forced herself on him for the other part of the journey, and he said he loved her but that doesn't quite qualify accompanying on a Council mission.

Naruto looked at her confused.

"Aren't you getting on Sakura-chan?"

Her face lit up 100 percent.

"Of course, just a sec."

She quickly picked up her ring, strapping it to her back and running over to the horse. Naruto offered his hand to help her up, and she accepted it.

"Well don't you two look comfy?" Tsunade said looking at how Sakura was positioned behind Naruto hugging him.

Sakura smiled and hugged tighter.

Naruto kicked the horse's side to get it to go and it took off.

"Shit!" Naruto screamed racing off.

"So that is why you didn't want him?" Ino asked Kiba.

"Yup, horse has a temper and only two speeds, not moving speed and way to fucking fast speed."

"Think Naruto can do this Tsunade-hime?" Shino asked.

"Well the Baka has done more surprising things then this before."

* * *

"Kit you surprise me..."

"Kyubi-sama?"

"Good Rokubi you arrived."

"What is your wish?"

"That stupid little Podunk town the boy was just in do you know it?"

"Yes of course, not but 50 kilometers from my castle."

"I want you to burn it to the ground. I want to see every single human burning with their flesh melting from their bones as they scream for help. I want to see the buildings turn to ash on the winds. Make them feel the torture of centuries in the blink of an eye. How dare kit think that just because he stopped some stupid idiot from impersonating my enemies that he would spare that village?"

"It will be done sire."

Rokubi turned to leave until a long red tail curled around him.

"On second thought, leave everyone under 13 alive to watch all this unfold before their very eyes. Then bring all the girls still alive to me…"

"And the boys?"

"Give the impression Kit did it. That should be fun to watch as the boys seek revenge."

"The village will bath in blood Kyubi-sama."

* * *

Huzzah deadline reached, and i bet some of you thought i wouldnt well forshame. Ok so this chapter was more of a transition one from the mini Sakura alive arc, to the whole main arc of Part 2. So action will intenify next, more junk will be said, lotta crap gonna happen and maybe really fast.

Well i hope you enjoyed it even if it seems weaker to me. Well keep reading, keep reviewing, Thank you so much for all the fantastic and wonderfull reviews, they make me feel like you really enjoy my writing : )

So review if you wanna, if you dont review then i hope you are still interested enough to come back next chapter. Till next time


	18. P2:C5: Run Cerberus, Run

I dont own Naruto

"Talking"

_thinking_

* * *

P2:C5

_The Fates are fickle Mistresses, they speak and say bluntly that you have no say in life and your path is sealed to a specific destiny. I used to believe their lies, but no more will I fall victim to the slander. They can tell me whatever it is they see as my fate but I don't care. The wheel will keep turning and as long as it does I can change the position of my spoke on it. I don't know where I will be tomorrow and that excites me to no end. It is my belief no one is bound to the word of the Fates. For they have claimed my time was up countless occasions and yet here I sit, with this man, that as long as he breathes will spit in the eye of destiny. And as long as I am with him all their words will be void. I mean they never saw me here, riding for my life from these spectral dogs of death, and in doing so that I couldn't be happier…could they?_

* * *

Dirt, rock, sand, gravel, mud, any kind of barren earth that could be upon a pathway these hooves could take in stride and then some. The speed this stallion was moving was nauseating. The force pressed against the body by the speed wasn't terrible but definitely nowhere near wonderful. That didn't stop the laughing of a boyish man having the time of his life, the wind flying by him, feeling its brisk hand against his face and the speed, and all without the painful body crippling pressure of having to fly to get this feeling. It just made him Happy McSunshine.

His smile, sparkling eyes and overall way too happy mood was so contagious you could be puking happy from your mouth if he so much as breathed his joy near you. And unfortunately or fortunately, only time would tell, Sakura couldn't control herself to not catch the fever.

It all came to a crashing halt when Cerberus stopped dead in his tracks.

Sakura looked about the area in hopes of finding the reason for stopping without having to ask, though no real evidence for a stop could be found.

"Naruto, why have we…" Her question stopped when the realization that the man it was directed to was no longer in from of her.

"Naruto?" Sakura asked a bit worried.

"FUCK!" Naruto's voiced pierced the heavens. Something bad was happing to him and Sakura was not about to sit by and let it.

She jumped off the horse and ran as hard as she could toward the noise echoing from behind a nearby dead tree.

"Naruto I'm coming don't worry!" Sakura was frantic as she neared the tree.

"No stop Sakura-chan, it is…OW…alright." Naruto's voice said as a hand out from behind the tree to wave to her to stop.

"Naruto no way do you sound…" A smell caught her nose, one foul and putrid and of course biological.

Sakura's worried demeanor changed drastically.

"…I told you not to eat that rabbit meat."

"SHIT…heh…I know you did, but I was hungry."

"…It was green."

"SoooOOOO!"

"I am going to wait with the horse."

"Right…"

Sakura waited with her ride for thirty minutes in complete boredom, every now and again hearing the cries of the baby from the tree. She had tried to engaged the horse in conversation but although it did understand human's it only had 3 responses to anything: a stamp of the hoof, Sakura believed to mean no, a death glare that freaked her out which she associated with don't ask, and a general no response which she couldn't figure if meant don't ask or you are just stupid.

Sooner or later Naruto emerged back from his small predicament yielding the huge smile again.

"All better?"

"Yup."

Naruto quickly and smoothly returned a role of paper back into a scroll he had and used another to extract some water and soap to wash his hands.

"Tsunade-shishou wouldn't teach me seal magic, will you?"

"Maybe when we get back to town."

"Alright, how much longer till we get there, that way we can get back to Konohagakure faster?"

Naruto sealed the water back up and took in the surrounding area trying to gain his footing. Raising his hand to point off in the distance, Naruto gestured to a plateau maybe 30 miles north.

"See that rise in the distance?"

Sakura turned and looked.

"Yes?"

"Those are the Cliffs of Insanity. We will have to go wide to get by them for they are basically shear rock walls straight up and the horse can't take that. But that is the old kingdom border of the sixth and fifth kingdom borders. Once passed them we will be into the fifth kingdom and then we will just follow the coast line a good 100 miles or so then we will head back toward the center of the peninsula and be there... Technically not the real border but the visual border, the real border is distorted and the south eastern area ejects somewhat to incorporate the Uchiha compound"

"Ok Cliffs of Insanity, 100 mile coast, head toward center of…the fifth kingdom is a peninsula?"

"Yup, making it the most well guarded kingdom, water on three of four sides, and then the cliffs, but alas ever plus has a negative, for being the most well guarded it is also the smallest. Even the island chains of the third kingdom encompass more land when added together."

"Alright so about how long time wise do you think to get there, and any chance of stopping by the Uchiha's for a bath or some warm food?"

"Should be there by day break of tomorrow with the speed Cerberus here emits. And no… they don't like outsiders."

"Damn." Sakura said sad, she realy wanted a nice hot bath.

* * *

The cliffs didn't seem to get any closer at all. The more they ran towards them the further away they seemed. Was this another reason they bore the name Cliffs of Insanity?

"Naruto tell me a little bit about the cliffs!" Sakura had to shout at Naruto because of all the wind noise rushing by them.

"Like?"

"Is there any way up, or something wondrous on top?"

"There are 2 ways up, 3 if you want to get technical. The first is to climb the face of it, and that could only be done by a colossus of a person with insane upper body strength. Another way is on the opposite side there is a long pathway carved into it to get up to the summit. And the third way would be for me to fly up there. On the top there were guardian towers that would keep watch on the border; I don't know if the towers remain. So besides a spectacular view and a whole lot of wind there might not be too much up there."

"Can we go and check?"

"Why is it whenever we are on a time limit you want to go see something?"

Sakura laughed some, "I like being a pain."

The two returned to a more or so comfortable silence, but still seemed no nearer the cliffs.

Sakura's eyelids grew heavy; she was getting tired for no particular reason. It seemed that her eye lids were just being forced closed. But she wasn't in the mood to argue with her body and let it take her.

She could still feel the horse gallop and the air moving by, but she was in a dream like state between awake and asleep, and couldn't be sure what was true or not. One thing was certain however, that damn cliff wasn't any closer.

"Stupid…wall…away…"

Naruto turned his head to look at what Sakura and see what she was mumbling about.

"Sakura-chan?"

"Heh?"

"What were you saying?"

She let out one very prolonged yawn, and then responded. "That stupid wall isn't any closer, why is it always so far away?"

_Wow she mumbled like a tenth of that actual sentence._

"Sakura-chan, perhaps you should shake yourself awake a little."

Struggling to stop leaning on a person while riding a horse was not one of Sakura strong points, granted she had never done it before either so it have been she was a pro. But she was successful in rising into a more awake sitting stance, and was almost to amazed to speak. Cliff walls were on both sides of them, shear vertical cliffs rising into the clouds far above the world, both walls casting shadows into the gorge below making everything dark and sinister.

"How long have we been in this gorge?"

Naruto laughed a little.

"Don't laugh at me!" accompanied with a swift knock to the noggin was Sakura's retort to that.

"Sorry…But about 10 minutes in here."

"Wow, so what happened to going around?"

"I never said we were going around, in fact on horseback there is no way around."

"You did, you said we had to go wide to get around."

"No I said go wide to get by."

Sakura wasn't going to argue, she had been wrong before, so no point.

"Was this path like a pathway between the kingdoms that had a great gate at one point?"

"No actually the gateway to the fifth kingdom was the waterway; the fifth was very isolated because of the wall. And its closest ally in relations was the third kingdom, due to them both being strong naval powers."

"Then the gorge?"

"It may not be apparent but this was cut in the last 30 years or so."

"By?"

"A demon's aura."

Sakura closed her mouth and took the realization upon her own mind. An aura of a demon cut this pathway. Not even their power in an attack, just the natural aura they give off from their being cut a pathway so smooth and large through a shear Cliffside to the other end. Nothing could be said of power like that.

"Not to burst the bubble Sakura-chan but heads up…"

* * *

"The horses are restless boss. I think something is a coming."

A man covered in scars stood from the fire he and his men had gathered around to look at his brigade of horses. They were indeed spooked.

"Looks like we got us a woman, boys."

The men began to hoot and holler at the anticipation of their first woman in a long time. No one dared question how the leader trained the horses for such a feet but they had never been wrong, the horses only got antsy around a woman.

Water fell upon the fire thus dousing the flames from revealing their location. And the men waited with baited breath upon their steeds for a sign of the new prey.

* * *

"…heads up a light down the ways just went out."

"Can you see anything?"

"No, We are riding blind so be weary. I want you to be ready to follow my command here."

"Naruto I am not weak, I can help if this turns ugly you know."

"I am very aware and I plan to use you, but I am in control so listen to my orders. Now draw your weapon and be silent."

Sakura nodded her head, not knowing if Naruto even saw it. Her hand went to her back and unhooked the ring blade she had acquired. While Naruto made a motion to his back to draw his sword as well. They were both ready for whatever, if anything, jumped them.

Cerberus's speed was consistent. It was barely noticeable to the rider, the slight change in the horse's stride, compensating for the bound and quick readjustment over the discarded camp. The noise was off as well. There was an extra set of hoofs hitting the ground. Where was the 3rd pair coming from?

The tunnel was illuminating slowly as the day shown through at the end. Naruto was on guard to the front, leaving Sakura to check behind as light came allowing for a proper check. Sakura turned and found what answer she had been looking for. The extra hoof beat was from the horses following them. Three of them actually, all of them ridden by savage looking men who definitely meant her and Naruto harm.

"Behind!" and "Forward!" were yelled simultaneously by the two riders.

Naruto saw the exit's approach and saw a group of 5 horseman waiting at the opening with not to friendly intentions present by their weapon sets.

Naruto quickly looked back, as Sakura looked forward to see what the other was talking about.

"Naruto?"

"Sakura, can you ride a horse by yourself?"

The entrance was coming fast and they were blocked in.

"Yes, but…"

"No where to go cutie, we will take you after your boy is gone." One of the men behind her yelled.

"Ok ready?" Naruto asked.

"For what?"

"NOW!" Naruto yelled. Sakura had no idea what was going on but apparently the horse did. Cerberus jumped, and boy did he jump high. He was able to jump clear over the other horses, and on the fall back down to the ground Sakura felt a force, like a hand, push her forward on the saddle to find no Naruto in front of her.

Cerberus landed and just kept on running with no plan on stopping.

Sakura turned around in time to see Naruto land in the middle of the newly formed ring of mounted thugs.

She knew yelling was pointless, but she wanted to anyway, did he just ditch her to fight on his own?

But maybe not, she heard on the wind someone telling others to go after the girl.

_Was that his plan to split the group up? Well I think I will just assume it was luck and scold him later for it anyway._

"Look at this here boys we got ourselves a little acrobat." The man covered in scars said.

"Four of you go after her, don't let her escape. The rest of us will handle this here hero."

Naruto stood calmly in the center of the group and watched as 4 rode off to hopefully certain doom.

_Be alright Sakura-__chan__, I am putting my faith in you. PLEASE DON"T DIE!_

"Ok then guys, you getting down or should I start our fun together while you guys remain mounted?"

* * *

This side of the cliffs was certainly more wooded then the other side, and Cerberus was having a difficult time keeping speed in the new area, especially after the quick environment change.

The enemy however had no problems; their horses were quite familiar with these woods.

"We are coming pretty!"

Sakura jerked a little making Cerberus jump, and inadvertently drop his rider. It thought about just continuing running and forgetting the stupid rider, but it didn't know where to go in the new place, and getting lost and starve was worse than staying with this person.

Sakura shook off the fall quick and gripped her ring tight.

_Get ready…_

The noise was getting louder, and louder.

_…almost…_

It was just about upon them, the noise reverberated off the tree making the horse seem to approach from all directions.

_…now!_

Sakura let loose her blade towards a small opening between two trees. Whizzing through the air it returned in a timely manner, never have producing a killing sound. The proof to Sakura of hitting her mark was a returning blade covered in crimson red liquid.

Shortly their after calmly catching her ring, the wood exploded forth upon Sakura. Branches, dead leaves, rotting trees and other debris from the aging dead forest was called up to assist in the appearance of three of her former four pursuers. All three were soaked in fresh squeezed blood.

"You little bitch, you crazy little WHORE! You KILLED him!" The man to her front yelled to her. Up to that point in her training, and her whole life she had only ever taken 2 lives, even with the trying times and the struggle to just live yourself. And each time was terrible to hear, she would say she didn't mean to kill him, but also that she didn't not mean to kill him.

"You got a kill, now you are going to wish that you had been killed." The front man said again, while spurring his horse forward to take the girl and ravage her.

Sakura clinched her blade tightly.

_One good throw can take out a horse's leg incapacitating it…but poor horse. I would aim for the creep but no guarantee._

The horse didn't charge though, it accompanied by the other 3 horses in the premises started to stamp and shake.

"What the hell? I thought these dumb beasts only acted weird when they smell a woman."

A man behind Sakura responded to his comrade. "That is twitchy; this is them down right scared."

They need wait no longer, for the fear was rampant and gripped the horses' whole. Dislocating their riders from the saddles and fleeing was their only option, and action taken. Even Cerberus left Sakura in the water surrounded by sharks all on her own.

"Dumb animals. It doesn't matter, no one ever said we needed horses to go buck wild."

The man snickered a little at his attempt at humor.

"Get it guys? Buck wild? I was talking of horses. Good isn't it?"

Sakura looked at him with the "are you a little retarded" look, and the men had no response. If fact there was no noise when the man shut his mouth. It is far too quite all of a sudden.

"Guys?" He asked almost shouting, hoping for a response of any kind.

The breeze held the only noise, and it was an odd one that Sakura couldn't place.

"Where did the guys go? What did you do to the bitch!?"

"Nothing, shush."

"Don't tell me to shush."

"I will tell any dumb fuck to shush, that I want to. Now shush and listen."

He did as the girl told him, but didn't know why. He listened and tried hard to hear anything, misfortune came in the shape of him indeed hearing it, and identifying it.

"It's…" He muttered under his breath in almost shock.

"What?" Sakura asked to his mumble.

"It's the sound of flesh being torn from ligaments." The man said with fear overrunning from his eyes.

"Girl, we might need to vacate…" Some men can never finish a sentence, granted he had an excuse. He was pulled back into the wood by some unseen force.

The noise was easy to hear now that it was happening just behind the nearest tree, the gruesome sound something eating flesh, muscle, and bone.

_What the fuck is going on?_ Sakura screamed in her head.

The sounds vanished just as fast as they came, leaving a silence once against prominent in the area. The sudden change from terrifying noise to dead quite was by far more terrifying than the noise itself, for now you knew something was bound to happen you just had to wait in suspense for when.

Happening came sooner rather than later. A great beast brushed past the tree into the small clearing. It was closely followed by 7 creatures bearing the same exact description. The 8 spread out to surround her.

_Why is it always surrounded? Can't one person give me an escape route?_

The creatures were horrifyingly peaceful looking. Giant hounds covered in thick greasy fur. Every strand of fur was not made of a hair substance but a strange blur light that permeated everything about this wolf thing. The light was see through, so the creature could very well have not been real and some trick of the eye, except it had clear depth, and if you just reached your hand out you could feel every particle of fur. The only feature that seemed tangible and real were the teeth, every single one of the beasts' teeth used to be white, but now were covered in a thick red sauce with chunks of flesh stuck to a few. Not even the eyes were solid. In fact none of them seemed to have eyes at all, just hollow sockets where eyes whiter than light itself should be.

But apart from not having eyes and lacking site they sure homed in on her well.

"Ok I can play…Play with this!" Sakura shouted throwing her disk of a blade at the nearest of the 8 beasts. But nothing, the blade passed clean through without so much as a scratch, and returned just the same.

_Well…shit…_

* * *

Sakura was in a state of paralysis known to most as fear stricken, no matter how good physically of a fighter she was it didn't matter, if her ring didn't work and passed right through the things nothing else could be done, save one thing.

Forcing her fear down deep and bring herself to as close to a calm state as possible she readied herself to run at the first sign of a opening.

The chance came but do to the nature of it her best choice was not up running's alley. Instead she went with the option of raising her arm to the shy.

A crackling noise in the woods made the beast act sooner than later, fags and claws bored at the target, they leaped at her. And each passed through the other with no tangible being to intercept the blow of death.

Her arm was clasped firmly in the strong hands of her personal knight riding a silver steed. Cerberus's jump cleared the spectral wolves by a good 5 feet, leaving plenty of space and air for Sakura to be hoisted up and set behind her rescuer.

"Timely"

"Well you know the hero always show up at the last moment." Naruto said.

The wolves only took a second to readjust themselves to the new surrounding, that now severally lacked a kill target, and gave chase to the fleeing party. And even with Cerberus's speed they kept pace.

Sakura was the slightest curious what happened in Naruto's fight and how he reacquired Cerberus after the thing ran off, but that was for another time, currently they had other things to worry of.

"Where is the beach area you mentioned? Cerberus cannot handle this dead wooded type place long at his pace."

"Clearly." Naruto said noting the slight drops in speed.

"The shore is about a mile west."

"Well hurry!"

"Hey, we aren't the ones doing the running, we need to respect that he will try to get there as soon as he can."

"Yeah but he isn't the one that will be eaten if we get caught."

"Good point" Naruto agreed, now trying to spur Cerberus as fast as horsely possible.

The shoreline came fast; there was no beach to it just 20 foot drop from land to sea.

As the tree line broke and the runners came forth Naruto forced the almost demon of a horse to a complete stop catching the wolves off guard a bit, because they kept running forward passing the couple on the mount.

Cerberus was off again following the coastal cliffs north with the hope that in a straight path he will have the edge.

"Bold move, just stopping like that."

"It was either that or off the edge, he couldn't have made the sharp turn at such a speed."

"Well they apparently can."

The spectral beasts had handled it just fine and again were taking chase.

"Think we can outrun these beasts till day break?" Naruto asked.

"I don't think it will matter about day break, they will follow us even if we make it to dawn."

Naruto had no plan, no prayer, and no hope in stopping them. He knew stories of these things, from when he lived in the Uchiha village, physical attacks didn't work and neither did magic. You just had to survive until the inevitable.

* * *

The hours ticked by, each second was a blow to the impressive yet still mortal stamina of the mighty mount. Each time the beasts got close enough they would lung at the horse and the wounds were apparent. He couldn't keep this pace. Cerberus was tiring and decelerating slowly where as the wolves weren't and could keep it up for eternity by the look of it. They were almost taunting the targets saying "we could have you at any time." The moon was now high in the sky and the light it provided made the spectral nightmares even more terrifying.

"Think we are at our end?" Sakura asked worry in her words but also excitement.

"Do I think I am finally knocking on the door of fate? No, fuck fate!"

His blatant disregard for an inevitability made Sakura smile even in their predicament.

_Yeah to hell with fate!_

"Is it wrong for me to love every moment of this?" Sakura asked thinking she might be a tad odd.

"Nope." The answer was simple and all she needed.

"So day break isn't coming is it?"

"Well it is but we won't last long enough to see it."

Sakura swiftly hit Naruto's head.

"No time for being a smart ass. Not that you were ever smart."

"Sakura-chan…" Naruto said dejected, but recovering quickly enough to pick the conversation back up.

"Yeah Cerberus needs too much rest."

"Then what? Does wind work if physical is a no go?"

"Unfortunately no, I've been trying."

"There must be something!" Sakura said panicking; the wolves were coming in for the kill any time now.

Cerberus gave off a noise indicating his disdain for the situation and that they had better solve the problem quick.

"I think Sakura…" Naruto turned to face her.

"Yes?"

Naruto caught her lips while they were still open with his own. Sakura slightly shaken about it at first, but just let it melt the together for now. The lips were soft, she had only kissed this boy twice so far but she already knew she was addicted to it. His soft lips pressing just hard enough against hers, gave her a feeling of pre ecstasy. Her tongue touched his bottom lip asking for entrance to deepen the kiss, but Naruto pulled away.

Sakura didn't want the experience to end and was almost offended when he pulled away, but the conviction in his eyes calmed her.

"Naruto?"

"I think sleep would be the best thing Sakura-chan, if something were to happen, it would be better for it to commence while you were sleeping."

Sakura's eyes grew wide and she was going to protest the mere thought of sleeping against him while he rode for his life. But she never got her chance, for Naruto's hand had found the base of her neck rendering her unconscious.

"Sorry Sakura-chan…Ok Cerberus, what I am about to do will hopefully help."

The horse nodded thinking he understood what the rider meant.

"Here we go."

* * *

The feeling was warm and welcoming, like a pleasant sunbath, and the smell upon the air was so refreshing but a bit salty. All in all it was a pleasant experience and Sakura didn't want to awake from her blissful feeling. But alas she did.

"Hmmm?" Was the first noise to escape her as her eyes opened to the bright sight sun overhead in the sky with a nice shade on the other side of the tree she was against, and the soothing sounds of waves careening against the sea wall. It took a moment for her to recall all of the prior day, and she was up to her feet the moment it sunk upon her.

"Naruto?!" She screamed. She had survived but Naruto and Cerberus where nowhere to be found, and neither were the demon spirit dog things.

"Naruto?! Answer me!" She screamed again.

A strange grunt type noise caught her full attention and she was headed towards it instantaneously leading her to the cliff.

Sakura's heart almost stopped at the sight on the edge of the ledge. The Wind Seraphim and the gift Kiba had given them, were lying upon it blood permeating the ground around them.

"NARUTO!" Sakura screamed and ran toward the body, and didn't like the sight at all. Naruto and Cerberus had so many gashes and cuts about them it was like going through a field of knives, most had stopped bleeding but some were too deep to stop so soon.

She wanted to just break down and cry, but she heard her master screaming in her head not to dare do that, and that this is what she wanted, a chance to be useful. Sakura dropped to her knees checking Naruto for a pulse, and letting go of her held breath upon finding one, and fortunately so did Cerberus.

With the good news they were alive she pulled forth all the medical things she had upon her, she might not have taken to healing magic's spectacularly but she knew some and memorized first aid very well.

The two were stable and all the damage cleaned and wrapped.

_Well I guess the main problem right now is total exhaustion, but what happened? I wish I knew._

Water was gathered and some ruff food was cooked, and Naruto had been moved to where he was slightly more comfy, Cerberus was too heavy to be moved.

"I can just wait."

Sakura waited watching the sun go down, intensily bored.

_Well I guess I woke up after noon, oh well hopefully they will be up tomorrow._

The sun had set and Sakura went to sleep, but with not knowing the full extent of what happened she set up a perimeter to alert her for any foreign intrusion in case one of those things appeared, not that she had a defined plan for handling it but she wouldn't be taken in surprise.

The night passed and Sakura awoke in the knick of time to see Naruto rise.

"Morning sleeping beauty." She said to him.

Naruto examined himself, and laughed. "Yeah I must look like a real hot thing right now with these bandages on."

"Yeah you are pretty repulsive." Sakura said holding back her laughter.

"Well thank you for the treatment."

"Thank you for whatever happened, what did happen?"

"Nothing, the sun rose."

"What?"

"I knocked you out and did the only thing I could think of, and that was to use my powers and lift us all into the air in a protective wind bubble, as soon as I did Cereberus passed out from exhaustion, the only thing having kept him going was the fact he still had feet to run with, survival instinct I guess. Well I had us up in the air and the dogs were jumping at us to get to us all night and slowly my power was waning making it lash out at me, sometime badly, well just as I lost power the sun rose and the dogs dissipated and we plummeted to the ground, I caught you and leaned you against the tree. Then I went to check Cerberus and collapsed myself before I could." Naruto hurriedly said it all; he wanted to get it out in the open hoping that he wouldn't be scolded.

"The sun rose and they evaporated?"

"Basically, it is the story I learned from the Uchiha, those who want to prove themselves in the fifth kingdom must survive its' dogs till day break of the next day after you entered."

"So you knew the whole time…YOU KNEW WE WEREN"T IN DANGER?!"

Sakura's loud shout stirred Cerberus to an awake position.

"No I didn't" Naruto said trying to defend himself from the girl's wrath.

"I didn't know if we would make it that long."

"But you did know what we had to do to live!"

"Yes…"

"BAKA!" Sakura yelled slamming her fist into his head.

* * *

The pair walked on foot back into the dead wood hoping to give the horse a break. It took a whole 2 days of walking to make it to the desired location in the center of the country, and the place was uninspiring to say the least.

"Naruto I thought we were trying to get to Castle Invidia. Not some run down dinky little cottage."

"It is Castle Invidia Sakura. I will prove it, let's go inside."

The main entrance room seemed eternal, millions of time bigger than the size of the whole cottage, and also far bigger than any castle's hall. The hall just kept going with no sign of stopping, and the only light in the hall was a single candelabra in the distance, but not matter how far you went or how fast you ran it never got any closer.

"Naruto?"

"I know Sakura, we are just about far enough."

Naruto came to an abrupt halt, making Sakura almost trip over herself. This spot looked no different than any other spot in the hall.

"Why did we stop here?"

"Because this is where he wants us."

Sakura didn't like the feeling she was getting. The air was getting thick, with what she couldn't describe, and it was getting harder to breath. A strange warm air could be felt coming from the door they had entered. Sakura felt Naruto start to turn around so she followed his lead. And now she wished she hadn't.

Staring at her were two giant eyes, both were made of swirling green colors. Every possible green that an artist could think up was sitting inside these eyes, and the colors kept mixing and producing more. They were intoxicating to look at, a prismatic storm of wonderment yet deafeningly destructive. Empty space below the eyes parted forming an elongated mouth, and it was smiling. The teeth were gagged, serrated knives made of the whitest ivory, and sharper than steel was what came to mind as the best possible description. A shattering roar erupted from the mysterious mouth. It was a torrent of heat, moisture, odor, and soul shattering fear. Sakura was hit with the full effect and could feel every one of those things lingering on her face, making her succumb to the need to hide behind Naruto. For some reason he didn't seem the least bit scared.

The floating eyes directed their mesmerizing gaze to Naruto, and the mouth spoke.

"Kit, to what do I owe the pleasure?"

The voice ruff and deep, shaking the very foundations of the building in which they stood, and yet it was almost a friendly voice. The tip of his speech almost yearned for you to come hug whatever he was and befriend it. But he would then devour you the moment you let your guard down.

Naruto didn't answer the thing yet, instead he wrapped one arm around Sakura, bringing her forward a little.

"It is all right Sakura. No harm will come to you." He offered her a warm smile, hoping it would have the effect to calm the shivers of fear currently raking her body in, from being in this things presence.

"Kit, don't be rude when you invade my home!"

"My apologies, Gobi no Houkou. I have come to you with a proposition."

_The Gobi!_ Sakura screamed in her head. No wonder she felt the way she did, the all terrifying aura in which she found herself belonged to a demon lord, one of the Bjuu. And now the hallway and cottage almost made since Tsunade had told her a little on each demon, the Gobi was a master illusionist.

"Kit, please Gobi is just fine." It said, the whole time not losing its twisted smile.

Sakura whispered to Naruto, "Kit?"

"It is a term of endearment, meaning baby fox."

"…ok." Sakura didn't quite understand it; by she wasn't going to call a demon on the name.

"Do you wish to hear the proposal?" Naruto asked the beast.

"Why would I? You come marching in here, killing off a few dozen of my spirit dog guards, and you expect me to just sit and listen. What makes you think I would do that, and not simply kill you. It isn't like you think you could take me at all."

"First off I didn't kill those dogs, I just passed your trial and the other is the reason The Council choose me for this. In case you decided that should be the outcome of the meeting."

"They are exploiting you?" The Gobi asked almost shocked.

Sakura didn't quite understand, she was under the impression no demon would dare kill Naruto, in fear of what might happen with the Kyubi.

"You wouldn't kill him!" Sakura got the courage to finally say, but a bit louder than intended.

The Gobi instantly acknowledged another presence before him. His eyes squinted to get a good look at the verbal attacker, and a giant paw appeared from nothing and pointed at her.

Sakura thought he was about to take a swipe at her, yet in paralyzing fear didn't even bother moving.

"The dead girlfriend?"

"No, I…yes…well…maybe, but I guess possibly…though it could be a negative…" Naruto had a bit of trouble here, he didn't quite know their relationship definition yet, and he didn't want anyone let alone a demon to have it wrong.

Sakura rolled her eyes at Naruto and the indecisiveness. So she spoke for him.

"Yes the girlfriend, no not dead."

Naruto looked wide-eyed at Sakura.

_Then I am her…?_

The Gobi nodded, "Ok Bitch, well listen, know what you are talking about, and at the moment let the big people talk."

Sakura was furious at her new nickname. Yet couldn't bring herself to defend herself against it, for full knowledge the demon could trump her best without even blinking.

Naruto however had no objection to correcting him.

"Don't call her that, and it isn't her fault she didn't know, so now will you listen or should I be on my way?"

The Gobi slowly started to reveal the rest of his body. He was a giant behemoth of a creature. It seemed almost illogical that he could fit within the room. His head and body were that of a white dog. The main difference between him and a regular dogs, forgetting the major size difference, were the 5 wagging white tails, each with a different elemental aura about them.

The dog, laid upon the floor of the castle to get as close to eye level with Naruto as he could.

"I am at the very least curious as to why this would be a reason you so easily would throw your life away, indulge me in the tale. But if I find it not worth my time I'll kill you."

Sakura was taken aback by how nonchalantly the beast said he would kill them, like it would be just a pointless task similar to cleaning its nails.

"Fair enough."

* * *

Author Note

Huray and Huzzah late again!! My work ethic is awful but at least it is being put out. So there it is, hope you like this one, What could possibly happen next you ask? Well...i wont tell you, but feel free to ask any questions you want, i will answer any that dont give anything away, on my profile. Also thanks for the few reviews i got last chapter always always appreciated.

Didnt plan on doing it, but good job Templar132 on seeing the last chapter title thing, if you happen to catch something noone else does that i just happen to add in, i might mention you.

So review and what not, and i will see you next time


	19. P2:C6: Seraphim Stories 1

I do not own Naruto

"Speaking"

_Thoughts_

P2: C6

It was coming. It was coming and couldn't be prevented. It was coming from every direction, every angle, every vantage point, everywhere. The sheet of microscopic particles encompassing everything within the vicinity, each particle invisible to the naked eye, while still easily discernable as razor sharp and prone to grind easily through metal, flesh, bone, everything it could get hold of to grind.

There was no up. There was no down. There was no left, no right, no forward, no back. All ways lead to the encompassing doom of this minuscule and thin but deadly sheet. The options were consistent of thinking of an out, or charging and dying. Too bad this was him and thinking and calculations were never his strongest point in battle, he had his moments like everyone else. He was used to relying on instinct of battle alone, he had been groomed that way as a warrior, and this opponent seemed to be growing in that way as well. His teacher had made sure he knew good and well for himself that thinking and logic came second.

The opponents facial expression had changed, the time for thinking had as of then been lost. A smile started to tug at the edges of the lips of the one forcing this death upon the trapped. It had finally been done, after a battle lasting for three hours, with no breaks, the victory had been secured and was at hand.

"Think you have won?" The voice was shaking as its fear could easily be felt resonating in every word uttered.

"I know I have." Kean, confident, calm, and collected nothing but these words could be used to describe the trapper's voice. Victory was a certainty.

"Lesson number ten, when you have the opponent bent over your knee like this…finish it!"

The eyes bugged when the clarity of realization came to the captor, and closed the hand controlling the sheet with as much force and vigor as possible hoping that it was done in time. But alas the captive was gone.

"Shit!"

The time never came to block the hit. The elbow was too fast and easily ground into the back of the unsuspecting victims head. The body became but a ragdoll skipping, like a rock on water, across the ground. Grinding to an eventual halt due to colliding with a rock outcropping.

There was a cough, a grunt of pain, and some blood all leaking from the mouth of the victor turned loser.

"Are you…going to follow…your own lesson?" The words were slow, but true.

"Why would I kill my own student, Gaara?"

"I don't know, Naruto-sensei, because you are a psychotic basterd?" Naruto had a lot on his mind but still produced a few chuckles there.

"That's true I guess."

Naruto extended his hand to help his young protégé up, who graciously accepted.

"I thought I had you for sure, how did you escape my sand curtain?"

Gaara waited for his teacher's answer but he didn't get one. He looked to the man he felt as an older brother. His face was somber looking toward the horizon. He was clearly deep in thought, which even Gaara knew was never a good thing.

"Naruto-sensei?"

Naruto heard him that time and snapped to attention.

"Sorry?"

"I was asking how you got out of the sand curtain, but what seems to be…"

"Curtain is that was your calling it? That's dumb, add more sand and name it the coffin."

"Well how did you…"

"It was simple space displacement magic."

"When did you make the transition circle for that?"

"I never did, you did as you were walking about in the sand dragging your feet while I was trapped."

"That's stupid."

"Says the little boy who did it."

"I'm not that little!"

"Smaller than me for sure."

Gaara grinded his teeth in frustration.

"Well at least how do you think I did?" With a glint of hope in his voice, wishing to be praised, wanting to be praised, needing to be praised from one his main idols.

"Better than last week." Naruto said with little emotion to show for it, clearly not too impressed.

"That means nothing! I need to be far beyond last week! I will never be able to help you at this rate!"

"Careful my young apprentice, you had better watch that temper of yours you know how you get when you get mad."

"You're one to talk mister overreact."

"I DO NOT OVERREACT!" Naruto yelled with such force, making Gaara's soul quiver.

"….Or maybe I do a little…but the point is, not a lot."

"Whatever you say." Gaara retorted when returning from fear.

"But the point stands, I am not going fast enough! I need to be able to help, at this rate there is nothing I can do to help anyone…what if a repeat happens? I won't be able to live with myself if it happens again."

It wasn't hard to see anguish dripping from the young lads face. Twice he was forced to watch a city he loved crumble in the wind, all the while with no way of helping. Even harder it was within 1 week of each other, possibly giving him the thought it was his fault, that the demons had been seeking him out. That's not something Naruto wanted an eight year old to endure.

"In due time Gaara, the time it takes to get the level you desire is long and tedious. Besides remember all the training exercises I put you through have to be in secret or Temari would kill me, and punish you in some way."

Gaara wanted to comment, make some sort of retort to try to gain the upper hand, maybe get Naruto to train him more than once a week, but not only did he have a point, Temari would never let them if she found out, and also Naruto seemed to distraught and far off in his head right now. Every sentence he ended seemed to take him back to whatever it was that plagued his mind.

"Naruto-sensei, I hate to ask but…"

Naruto looked back to his little adoptive brother. "Yeah?"

"What is on your mind?"

"Nothing one so young should worry about."

"Bull! It's about your mission right? I never heard how it went! Tell me, what happened?"

"Sorry can't it's classified."

"I will be on that council one day, you know!"

"Yes I do…but for now I can't dive into that, besides you should get back to Temari she will be looking for you soon."

"True…"

"Remember what you do in case she gets to nosey?"

"Of course, I know how to work my sister. You going to find Sakura-san?"

"No I got a date with a very boring library."

"Again? What are you looking for?"

Naruto's shoulders dropped in defeat.

"I don't know."

* * *

"It's not that I don't understand the situation, it is more of that I don't want her in such a situation."

"But your motive for such action no matter how laced with honor and duty is filled with greed. You want more training."

"I won't deny it, after we returned I have yet to get a single hour of training, I feel myself waning."

Temari rolled her eyes at the pink haired gal in front of her. She liked the girl just fine, and could even see the two of them becoming very close, but she couldn't figure out what it was Naruto saw in her. But stranger couples are possible, she could think of a few.

"Sakura, listen she has to head a resistance movement, govern a huge metropolis as well as possible, and be a demon lackey all at the same time. You got lucky as hell getting that six months that you did. Spend some time training yourself; self reliance will only help you."

_Damn…You are right again Temari…_

"Now enough talk of Tsunade-hime, did you want to go shopping in the market or sit here some more?"

"I would say we check out the market like planned, but it seems we will be having a party crasher."

Temari looked around, but couldn't find anyone distinctive.

"Really who?"

"The little boy about to tackle…" Sakura could have been faster with her words, hell she could have told Temari to just duck, but that sadistic side of her really wanted to see Temari fall on her face. Call it revenge for her being right all the time.

A young red head boy, no older than eight just tackled the council seat holder. And he sure was happy about it, just laughing is little head off.

"Gaara?! WHAT THE HELL?!" Temari shouted at her younger sibling seeing it was him that tackled her, had it been anyone else they would be feeling the sharp edge of her serrated battle fan blade.

"HA Onee-chan. I totally got you." Gaara said through his fits of laughter.

"And you will be punished for said getting." Temari voiced in her responsible elder tone.

"Oh come on, don't be a stick in the mud." Gaara said with a pout adorning his little lips.

"Speaking of mud, why are you covered in dirt and scrapes Gaara-kun?" Sakura asked upon getting a good look at the boy.

Temari took the time to take at the boy in detail as well, "Yes why are you in such a state?"

Gaara cast a scowl toward Sakura, she knew where he was, Naruto couldn't hide anything for that girl. She was just trying to get him in trouble and he knew it. But Gaara was prepared for such an inquiry.

"Hey Onee-chan, how is Nara-san doing?"

Temari's face never faltered, just a slight pause in her thought process. Sakura was also interested in the question.

"Shikamaru is just fine; don't try to change the topic, now where did you get…"

"Sakura-san how are you today?" Gaara's eyes were pleading with Sakura to get his back here.

"Oh I am just fine today, and yourself?" Sakura decided to throw the boy a bone.

"I'm just peachy, I was curious to know about the details of you and Naruto-sen…Naruto-niichan's trip to the fifth kingdom." Gaara's words were coming out at a rate he didn't even know he could talk, casting glances to his sister the whole time making sure she didn't get a word in edge wise.

"I am sorry Gaara-kun, but the information is classified, how bought instead you tell me where you and Temari were after the fall of Coadunation?"

"I would be delighted." Gaara quickly took the spare chair at the small table.

"It starts with…"

"Hold it." Gaara froze, Temari would not let this die and he knew it.

"If anyone will give a story it will be me, who knows what that little juvenile brain of yours will spew."

Gaara nodded in agreement, anything to advert the questions.

"Well the city had fallen, and Gaara was still in no state to travel. But we had made it successfully to an escape boat. The journey from the island to the refugee spot took 3 days. I have to say those elven ships are like bats out of…" A worried glance was thrown to Gaara. " Out of some place bad. When we arrived it was another awful site, the refugee camp had already been hit by the minions of those monsters. It had apparently been taken out a day prior. It was panic at that point; most the elves and refugees were thinking the hordes were still nearby. So it was a scramble to get out. We were no exception, with Gaara in my arms I got out of there and headed to the only spot I could think of, and for the life of me I can't tell you why I thought to go there and not here… I just did."

"Where did you go?" Sakura asked, now actually getting interested in the story for the story itself and not an escape tool for Gaara.

"To Monolith… the city of the Dwarves."

* * *

"It's ok Gaara, if the directions I have are correct we should be there soon."

Temari was exhausted. She had been walking for days. Many of them were spent carrying Gaara, and both of their packs. Gaara still being wounded he could only walk for himself a few hours each day. Suffice to say it was not an easy trek either. Two weeks ago she had passed into the Obsidian Mountain Range, and starting two weeks ago she wished she hadn't. Every step was another jagged rock into her already bloody and torn feet. She had cursed herself much already for leaving her boots behind in a panic and just having the weak sandals that had long since gone to shreds.

The Obsidian Range was notorious for being the most inhabitable place any creature could live. Not a single inch of it was flat surface; all area was razor sharp rocks. Every inch of stone seemed to just laugh at you in contempt of your foolish efforts of even trying. Each inch of 

movement forward was another stab at your will to live. Each inch of gravel was the very next step on your way to jumping off the next cliff in agony of this dead stony coffin.

_Why did I want to come here? ...I know why…Baka Naruto. Telling me Gaara could find refugee here if he ever needed it. And these directions are bogus. Why on earth would there be a city of dwarves out here? Dwarves went belly up. Forget it, I don't know why I did this! It's going to be ok Gaara; I will get you to Konoha. _

Temari had no choice but to press forward, she was Kami knows where in these mountains, the best bet to escape now is to just find some way down and out.

Four hours slowly ticked by, every second a nightmare in these mountains. But in the dawn of that fourth hour, the sun didn't rise. The sky actually darkened, for the slow and weak but steady bump of Gaara's heart disappeared.

Temari froze. Almost too petrified to check on him in fear, but driven out of the same emotion to do so.

"Gaara!?" Temari screamed placing him off her back onto the ground.

"Gaara! No you can't go, your bad injuries are supposed to be healed!" There was no blood, no scrapes, and no signs of damage present. Just a nonexistent heart beat.

"NO!" Franticly but still as well as possible Temari tried to perform CPR. The technique was new and she had never really seen anyone perform it before, she was just aware of the motions. Breath into the mouth for some number of times, pump on the chest some number. Those numbers eluded her here when she would need them.

The breaths were too weak to get air to anything, and the pounding was not anywhere near the right spot. If she stopped to think it might have occurred to her, but Gaara's heart has been out for at least 3 minutes, and all she could do was panic, and cry.

Through her screams of agony, her face got more and more contorted with tears and sorrow. The eyes were large and puffy and the hair was a mess. And the crying mass couldn't remove its desperate eyes from a face that was slowly becoming calmer, paler and far more serene.

"Please…Kami…don't take Gaara from me too. YOU HAVE KANKURO WHAT ELSE DO YOU WANT!?... just don't take my Gaara." She pleaded on her knees, but no answer came.

After a few minutes Temari fell asleep from crying. She was far too exhausted both physically and now emotionally to just keep going, and she didn't want to. She would let it end here.

* * *

"What happened next?" Sakura asked with a few tears in her eyes hanging on the edge of her seat. She knew Gaara was alive; he was sitting next to her. But the story was just to engaging to go with the obvious.

With a sly smile Temari replied, "You're getting into it."

"Yes!"

"Ok well where was I?"

"I had just died, and you collapsed from exhaustion Onee-chan."

"Right thank you Gaara, well…"

* * *

"Wake up!" A ruff voice shouted in the dark.

"uh?" Was the charismatic grunt of an answer in response.

"Wake up!"

Temari's eyes strained to see what was sprawled out in front of her. It was a dark room with just two light sources, one on each side of her peripheral. The room for itself was the shape of an egg, not traditional architecture for any country Temari could think of. She was lying upon something firm but not uncomfortable, with a simple itchy linen blanket on top of her body. Her feet were sticking out from the bottom of the covering, showing each to be covered if not excessively in bandages.

She strained her neck to look at the rest of the room. The light was two small candle stands. A man behind the bed thing caught her attention, he wasn't really tall, in fact just the opposite he sat at about one hundred and thirty centimeters off the ground. His hair was a dark black, but if you looked to his cranium you couldn't tell for it was bald, bald and shining in the light. The hair color was apparent on his beard, one of the thickest beards she had ever seen, not counting how her grandfather's had been before he passed on.

"Good to see you are up and about, but are you done gawking at me or can we get on with it?"

Embarrassment quickly swelled within her being caught staring at the poor fellow.

"My apologies, I am just… Oh no…oh Kami…Gaara, where is he?"

"What?" The short fellow asked a tad befuddled.

"GAARA! MY LITTLE BROTHER WHERE IS HE?!" Bellowed from Temari's mouth as loud as she could, while simultaneously standing up preparing to run off and look for him. But it was not to be, her feet were not properly healed and she came crashing back to the bed in pain.

"Easy child, you are not fully healed yet, no quick movements."

"But…Gaara he is…"

"Just fine." The fellow interjected with.

"What?" Temari asked in a small daze.

"Gaara-sama is perfectly alright. His wounds are all healed and he is up and about training. He does worry for you though, you were in far worse shape than, he was."

"But he was dead…are you sure?"

"Yes absolutely. What was the last thing you remember happening to you?"

"Well I stopped feeling Gaara's heart beat in the Obsidian Mountains… um near a rock cropping in the shape of a tree and I tried to bring him back but I failed and he passed on then I collapsed."

"Detailed memory, ok we found YOU collapsed and passed out near the rock cropping and the boy was scared for your life. Seems you collapsed from exhaustion and imagined or dreamed that whole scenario."

"... so he is alive…"

"Yes, just fine." He reassured her again.

"And he is what again?"

"Training." A smile adorning his face.

"TRAINING! He is too young to train!" Temari had found herself again, and her overly protective sister mode.

"I beg your pardon ma'am but he is not, and I am shocked you did not start Gaara-sama's training sooner."

"Who are you? I am sorry I didn't get your name and what authority you have to tell me how to raise my brother?"

"My apologies, I am High Dwarf Priest of Earth, Fward, I oversee the Temple of The Core here in the Obsidian Range, the sacred burial chamber of Elemental Seraphim of the Earth. 

It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Temari-dono, and I have no right to tell you how to rear him, just a helping hand in development."

Temari sufficed to say was not expecting that as the introduction the new dwarf priest would offer her.

"Well…ok then, nice to meet you Fward-dono, and good I want him to stop training immediately, he shall not learn to fight yet." Her statement was said with diction.

"Well he is not, but he should."  
"Explain, he is training but not to fight?"

"It would be better to show you, please come along with me." The dwarf offered his hand to the maiden to help her walk to see her brother.

As Temari reached for the dwarves hand she became very aware of herself as the emotional rollercoaster was coming down. She was in nothing save a very thin clothed, almost see through pull over.

She quickly reached for the blanket and covered herself forthwith, blushing madly. No man had seen her in such a state, she was a great warrior but still a woman, and she was not comfortable like this. In such a thin undergarment, if it could even be strewed as such. She didn't know of one so revealing.

"Is there a problem?" Fward asked completely oblivious.

"Damn straight! Where are my clothes? What am I wearing?"

Fward almost staring laughing at the situation, letting it click within his mind what she was covering up for.

"My sincere apologies, we had to throw out your other clothes, they were a mess. And as for that, you are much taller than any woman here so they had to sow that fairly quickly before something more appropriate was made."

"Great and how long will that take, because I'm not letting anyone see me like this?" Temari asked frustrated.

"It is already done, on the floor in front of the bed."

"You have fast workers here." She said clearly impressed with the promptness.

"Yes we do, but you were out a while so there was time."

There was something that had not crossed her mind, how long was she out? So she asked.

"How long was I out?"

"5 days. You were really exhausted. Now I will give you your privacy as you change, then please give shout and I will lead you to Gaara-sama."

Temari dressed promptly, putting on the dress but taking special care of her feet. She called to Fward and the two slowly made their way through the tunnels of Monolith. Fward explained many things to Temari on the walk, like the fact all the rooms were rounded shapes, after all they were in a cave system. She asked him why the dwarves are thought to be extinct ever since the destruction of the 4 trading post that they had in different mountain ranges, so they could do business with the people above. Fward told her that the trading posts were destroyed but the dwarves underneath survived, for a while at least. Three of the four underground cities died off due to lack of food availability. This cave system was different however because it had access to sunlight to be able to grow crops. The reason they remained in the afterthought of the world however was because the dwarf people had access to wonderful minerals that if made into weapons could truly be feared, especially if those minerals got to the hands of someone like 

Tenten. Not to say they didn't get some to her. The chat came to a close as the two approached a large steel door.

"Inside you will see Gaara-sama in his training."

"Ok but I will stop it if I see anything I do not like."

Fward nodded in understanding. He took special care in opening the door, making sure there was no sound coming from moving such a big piece of metal.

Temari was amazed at what she saw her young brother doing. He was in a meditative position, he was breathing very slowly, making no unnecessary movements, and he was solemn almost as the grave. About the small boy were stones, varying sizes, shapes and densities. He had 3 large rocks circling his torso, 3 small pebbles above his head. Further out from him in an elliptical pattern were an uncountable number of medium rocks, the rocks were moving at a speed that gave the impression it was just one large thin loop rock around him. In the projected corners of the rooms were boulders, floating steady not moving but still floating.

A whisper was all that left her lips, thinking the slightest noise would bring it all crashing down.

"This is his training?"

"Yes." Fward responded with the same whisper of a tone.

"What is he training?"

"He is learning to commune with the earth. It is vital for all earth seraphim to be able to be at harmony with the rocks and dirt. Do you want him to stop?"

Temari was almost in a trance watching her brother; his small frame could do this by just theoretically breathing.

"No… he can keep going…"

"Come Temari-dono, let us leave him for now."

"Ok…" Temari walked off in her small trance with Fward.

Around four months passed by as the two lived within Monolith. The city was amazing, and Gaara had fallen in love with it, all the subtle nuances the city offered, the way the wind swept through the caves, how the small light trickles hit the pools of water, how the architecture was mostly an elaborate system on pillars. Pillars used as walkways across ravines, pillars used as a wall, pillars used for tables and chairs, all pillars. Temari wasn't as in love with it, she enjoyed herself, the dwarf women were fun to talk to but she missed the enveloping sunlight. She knew soon they would have to leave, and she was secretly happy because of that fact.

"Temari-dono?"

Temari's attention was pulled to Fward who had become like her shadow while they stayed here. He said it was because all the others would look after Gaara but someone needed to watch her. She didn't know if they thought she was going to steal stuff or what, either way it was a bit invasive.

"Sorry, yes?"

"I was asking you what you thought of Gaara-sama's progress."

The sound of shattering rocks drew her attention to Gaara. He was down in a small pit in front of her, along with about 8 dwarves, all trying to explain to him the importance of each rock he would wield and break and merge and forge, that they were all special and must be honored.

"He is making huge leaps and bounds."

"Glad you think so, now to another matter that must be brought up…"

"NO!" She said firmly.

"I must argue my point here. He needs to be able to fight."

"No not till he is old enough."

"So you want to wait till he is seated on The Council before he will learn to fight. You do know how stupid that is, for when he is on The Council they will be expecting him to be a marvelous fighter already."

"They will not be expecting…fair enough, the year before then."

"Why are you so against him learning battle patterns?" Fward was growing more and more interested in the subject.

"I just… When he starts fighting…"

"When he starts fighting?" Fward had to push this; he was almost at a breakthrough.

"When he starts fighting we will be able to die. Just like Kankuro…" A few tears started to slide down her cheeks.

"I understand your concern Temari-dono, but you need to see that Gaara-sama has already almost died. You depriving him even the most basic trainings will surely lower his survival chances."

Temari dried her eyes, she knew he was right.

"Yes, but I cannot allow him to outright train, it is against my better judgment."

"Well he is too young for full outright training anyway, his body couldn't handle it."

"But if he starts training he will want to go the whole time."

"Then maybe…" Fward had an interesting thought.

"Yes?"

"What if you let him train in secret?"

Temari was confused here, "You will need to explain how it is secret."

"What if we implant the idea of him training in combat into his head, so he goes and looks for a teacher, who you will have already talked to so that…" Fward stopped there to let Temari fill it in.

"He will only be training a little because the person has already talked to me about it."

"And Gaara-sama is at the age where being sneaky is very fun, so this makes him think he is clever as well."

Temari grinned almost evilly this was a good plan.

"But who will we get?"

"Why I assumed you already had the Naruto-baka as his future teacher."

Temari almost snorted her tea she had been drinking.

"Naruto-baka?"

"Yes the idiot came here once and almost destroyed an entire wing of the city. The fool is the only human to enter that we did not permit."

"How?"

"That is a story for another time. But he would be a great teacher, and you have close ties with him, so get him to train Gaara maybe just once a week."

"Yes… I like it, ok I can do that."

"Well I will go talk to Gaara then, please excuse me." Fward got up leaving Temari to watch the exchange from up high out of earshot, so she wouldn't know that Fward is suggesting secret training to Gaara. Or at least he would think she wouldn't know.

About three more weeks passed and the time had come to leave Monolith and head to Konohagakure and meet up with everyone else on The Council who hopefully has finished their assignments. The goodbyes were sad, and Gaara practically had to be pulled away kicking and screaming. The last thing Fward told to Temari was to be weary of men in all white. One had been spotted in the mountains and he had been looking for Gaara.

* * *

"We then found a fisherman who would sail us up the river Gomorra, taking us straight here pretty much, granted it was a week and a half journey by river. Then a three day walk after leaving the river."

"That was a great story." Sakura said in awe. "And you told it so well."

"Why thank you." Temari said, always happy of praise.

"And good thing Gaara-kun left halfway through for snacks."

"Ya I thought of not saying that part till he left." The two girls started laughing together, until Gaara return.

"What is so funny?" The redhead asked.

"Nothing." The girls said in unison.

The boy would start to rebuttal but didn't get his chance and another girl who came running up to the group distracted him too much.

"Temari! Forehead!" Both girls turned to see the new comer, one was indifferent to her but the other was now ticked off.

"Pig… what do you want?"

Ino decided to ignore the comment and say what she was sent to say.

"Kakashi-sama is here, we are supposed to meet at, you know where, to discuss some things."

"Kakashi finally showed up?" Temari asked in surprise. She knew what that would signify, that the time had come to set the plan to action.

"So everyone lets go, and have any of you seen Naruto?"

Temari and Sakura both shook their heads no and looked to Gaara, knowing he had seen him last.

Gaara felt the gaze grinding on him but couldn't give away his training secret so he had to try to play it off.

"Don't look at me, why would I know?"

* * *

Another page turned in another exceedingly old exceedingly boring book. Naruto had gotten to the point of just skimming the books; his brain could not take reading all of them cover to cover. If only the books had pictures then it might be slightly more fun to read.

"WHAT AM I LOOKING FOR?!" Naruto screamed at the top of his lungs. There would be no librarian to shush him. He was in a secret chamber of the library where the ancient old forbidden books, well forbidden by Demon law, were located.

* * *

The small room was packed to the brink of breaking with all the people here to hear what Kakashi had to say. Many of the faces Sakura had become familiar with, Shikamaru the Shadow Knight, Kiba the Beast Master, Shino the Biologist with a focus on bugs, Ino the Mind Tempest, Negi the Elf General, Hanabi the second Elf Princess, Tenten the Supreme Ultimate Omega Magic Blacksmith/Weapon Master a title of which she gave herself, and Shizune the first apprentice to Tsunade and appointed assistant. In the room were also many people Sakura had only heard talk of and met in passing, Rock Lee who was a celebrated Martial Arts Master, and Akimichi Choji whom was a Battle Chef. Sakura was not fully sure what a Battle Chef was but it involved fighting and cooking from what she had gathered.

Of course also in the room, were people she had no idea of. Some were identifiable as elves, while others were human but she still didn't know them, not that she expected to know everyone who was in on the fight against the demons, because she wanted the whole world was in on it. A few key faces were lacking from the crowd and Sakura was wondering where they could be.

A whistle went out among the gathered and all attention fell to Shizune.

"Ok everyone, the key speakers and heads of this meeting are entering; please give them your full attention."

The creaking of the door in the front opening was not a pleasant sound, but it did well to bring the attention to the newly appointed front of the room.

Out walked the four people that commanded the most respect in the room, along with one who will join such ranks. Tsunade the Crown Princess of the Sixth Kingdom, Kakashi the Elemental Seraphim of Lightning, Hinata the Crown Princess of the Third Kingdom and High Lord of the Elves, Temari the current fifth seat on The Council, and her eventual replacement Gaara hiding behind her back.

Tsunade was the first to speak of the newly entered group, and not a single person dared talk while she did.

"Thank you all for coming, this is a very crucial moment in our history and we are so glad so many of you could bother to find the time to come hear us out... And some are just plain stupid and will hopefully get a good scolding later...right Sakura?"

It took all of two seconds for anyone to figure out who Tsunade was referring too.

"Do not worry Shishou I will put his head through a wall then relay what was discussed."

A few chuckles were heard in the crowd.

"See that you do, ok as for why we are here. The plans will be discussed after Kakashi gets through telling us what he needs to. It is vital that we know this for it affects the future of our movements. Go ahead Kakashi."

Just as with the previous speaker no one made a sound, waiting, watching, and wondering what could be so vital for The Seraphim to say beyond the simple move out.

"Again thank you all for being here to hear me out. Can everyone hear me alright; I know I'm not as loud as Tsunade-hime."

"We could hear you better if you removed the face covering!" Kiba yelled from the middle of the room.

"Since no one said anything I will assume everyone can hear me fine."

"Jackass…" Kiba muttered under his breath.

"I won't mince words with you all, someone is hunting The Seraphim and it isn't the demons, but a human organization."

A gasp was heard throughout the gathered.

"I have received word from Pein and Itachi that they had a run in with the same ones I did. Temari has also received a warning to avoid these people. I had a run in with one of them and…I lost…"

* * *

"My arm is as good as it will ever be thank you for the help." Kakashi said to a kind old woman tending to him. He never asked for her name, he was not of the kind to familiarize with unnecessary people lest he find out they were killed and another part of him would die.

"It was my pleasure son, will you be leaving soon?" The old woman was kind and didn't bother to pry, aware when and when not to step over boundaries.

"Immediately, I have business to attend to." He said while standing up.

"Well it was nice to meet you, don't overdo it with that arm to early."

"Will do."

Kakashi gave the old woman one last smile and left, hopefully to never hear from or about her again.

He had made his way to the 7th kingdom before ever getting his arm treated, not a smart move but a fast move. He had high tailed it out of Coadunation and headed to not only his home country but where his mission was located. He wanted this to be peaceful and easy, certainly his mission would not inquire the wrath of Shichibi Kaku, for he did not ally himself with Kyubi, but he was crazy beyond reason so he could attack. Kakashi was just hoping he wouldn't.

A day long walk through the wheat fields could be soothing yet at the same time boring. Kakashi was fine with both, what he wasn't fine with was that most of the wheat crops had been burned, most likely by Shichibi. But of what was alive each wove in the breeze, every golden grain like a metronome, back and forth back and forth. It was almost hypnotizing to Kakashi.

Something in the distance did not fit however. He saw it but could not place it. In the sea of gold and black something was amiss. It was something white. Something completely white.

Kakashi fixated his attention upon the object and headed toward it. It was not hiding the fact it was there, but it made no effort to approach the Seraphim, it just waited for him.

The object slowly took shape and focus before Kakashi's single eye. It was a person without a doubt. He was bathed in white, from his all white no smudges robe, to the white leather gloves, the white slippers, and the white bandages covering his head.

An alarm went off in Kakashi's mind upon seeing this person, but his curiosity outweighed his better judgment.

"And pray tell who are you?" Kakashi voiced when close enough he was sure the man, or woman could hear.

"I am no one of consequence." The voice was definitely a man.

"And how may I help someone who describes themselves as such?"

"My own name and life are insignificant, but the group I am here to represent is not."

"And who are they?"

"The Protectorate."

"I have never heard of you." Kakashi was becoming more uncomfortable by the second.

"You may not know of the name, but you may know of the actions."

"We are the ones who brought down The Tower of Gaia."

As fast as itself a bolt of lightning shot forth and hit the white man in the chest, but not only did he remain unharmed his clothes were not even burnt a little.

"Now now Kakashi-sama struck a chord with the tower have I? Besides there is no need for hostilities, you won't be able to win if you resort to that."

"You basterds! Why did you bring that tower down?"

"We have our reasons, just as you have your for wanting it up."

The man's voice was what gave Kakashi's stomach the most unease. It was completely devoid of emotions. Not even a hint of superiority, or smugness that he wasn't hurt. He was completely blank and that was not right.

"What do you want from me?" He asked hoping just words could diffuse this situation.

"I am here for your life."

On instinct Kakashi moved from his spot expecting a surprise attack at such a sentence. But there was nothing the man stood unmoving.

"Then why wear the head wrap? If you can't see me you cannot kill me"

"I have no face, I lost it in an accident I won't speak of, suffice to say I have no eyes, no nose, no ears, no mouth, nothing besides deformed burnt skin."

"Then how are you talking?"

"Who says I am?"

Kakashi didn't know what to think, everything about this situation was wrong, and hopefully he could right it.

_I will surround him in a storm; hopefully it will force him to move so I can get a hit on him. If I just attack while he is sitting there I know I will lose…but how do I know that?_

Raising his hands to the sky Kakashi uttered a single word under his breath to call froth 12 bolts of lightning to strike all within one centimeter of his opponent. But the man did not flinch; he didn't even seem to take an extra breath.

Kakashi was becoming very uneasy about his situation, not fear just unease, there had to be something else a man hiding, or a trap near this guy…something.

"Do try harder Seraphim."

"Ok…"

Raising a single finger a bolt of lightning was fired at the man's leg. A strange shimmer appeared that Kakashi hadn't notice before but couldn't place it.

_What was that? It must be whatever is stopping my lightning. Maybe it is only range moves which is why he is so confident as I am at a distance…let's get close then, even if it doesn't feel right._

Kakashi's hand lit up brighter than any star. It held a solid ball of electricity poise to leave this man heartless. Kakashi took off. His speed not was to impressive, not even a run but a light jog. Each step he kept himself ready for anything. But nothing, there were no traps at all protecting this unmoving man. He came to a halt in front of the man, less than an arm's length away.

"What do you wait for?" The man asked.

"Nothing."

Kakashi's palm slammed into the man's chest, or what should have been his chest. His hand hit some sort of invisible orb, but Kakashi did not have the time to think about this because a ball of lightning shot out and connected to his ankle. Jumping back to recoup from the hit, he put himself on the defense expecting the man to press his advantage, but still nothing he stayed perfectly still. His ankle was bloody and small piece of bone stuck out covered in blood stained flesh.

"Does it hurt?" The white man asked.

"What did you do? That was just like my Raikiri, how did you have it come out of your leg?"

"Actually if you want to be technical it was your Raikiri."

"What?"

If this man had been showing emotions throughout any of their encounter Kakashi would be thinking the guy was smiling, but with this one it was impossible to tell. If Kakashi didn't know what the man was going to do, or what he could do then the only thing to use was his mirror, especially dealing with the fact he couldn't move so well with his ankle in such a state.

"You don't mind if I use my magical item do you?" Kakashi asked trying to act polite.

"Go ahead, whatever makes you die fulfilled."

Kakashi reached under his shirt to bring out a crystal mirror. It looked like an ordinary glass mirror, but looks can always be deceiving.

"So I am now facing the weapon that gave you the name Copy Cat Kakashi?"

"Yes."

"The mirror that has reflected in a more powerful state one thousand spells?"

"Yes, and no one has survived their spell hitting them after I reflected it."

"Well that won't help you considering I know nothing of spells and magic, besides a simple cloaking spell that I am using on my protective item."

"I knew you were using something, what is it?"

"Nothing to terrible…" The weapon slowly shimmered into view at his words, and it was worse than anything Kakashi could imagine. It was a magic staff, each end having the curve of a Sheppard's staff but in opposite directions. The top half of the staff was white, while the bottom half was black. The curve of the white top had a floating black sphere in the loop, and the inverse on the bottom. There was no grip for the staff but the man's gloved hand fell over the dividing area of the colors.

"…The…The…The…Key…" Kakashi couldn't even finish his sentence with all the stuttering. He could now say that he was afraid for his own life a total of 3 times in his life. Once when he faced down the Yonbi by himself, the second time when he faced Pein all alone, and now this time is added to the list.

"The Key to Chaos, yes good to see you know your ancient relics."

"I thought it was only a myth."

"No the sacred staff that nullifies all abilities of a Seraphim, or if the wielder so choices will reflect it back on the Seraphim with a much stronger force, is very real. As you can plainly see. Interesting that we both wield items that can reflect magic, only we both know which is better."

Kakashi was speechless, with a weapon like that his lightning magics were useless and with his leg in the condition it was he couldn't implore his hand to hand style. Besides theoretically his opponent has two stored electric blasts in that staff he could unleash. There was only one solution, hit him fast, hit him very very fast.

"So Kakashi-sama what will you do?"

"I will show you where the expression fast as lightning came from."

He disappeared from sight in an instant.

"Dear Kakashi-sama are you really running away?"

* * *

"Did you actually run Kakashi-san?" Gaara asked waiting for the story to continue.

"Gaara-kun glad to see your enjoying the story." Kakashi said with what was assumed a smile.

"Then what did you do?"

"Well what happened next even I have trouble grasping, I had converted myself to lighting for my ultimate assassination technique, but I was stopped. He didn't see me or know where I was or coming from, but The Key to Chaos did. As I charged I was sucked into the white orb and shot out of the black one. My head sunk into the ground with an impact so strong because my speed had been increased coming out of the staff."

"So he had you? What happened next?!" A swift hand hit the back of Gaara's head.

"Shush Gaara let him finish." Temari said to her brother.

"Thank you Temari, he had me cornered, I had destroyed my ankle now with no way to move apart from someone's help or a crutch. And then… he let me go."

"WHAT?!" Kiba yelled from the back.

"He told me he was not there to kill me, that was for another day this was just a gauge on my ability, but not to be worried for they would claim my life, he then dispersed into the air. Eventually a young boy came by and helped me back to the village I had been at the day before. The old woman took me in again and tended to my leg. She wouldn't let me leave for another 2 months I was able to leave and complete my mission, the old woman was named Depore."

Everyone was shocked into silence by Kakashi's words. A group hunting the Seraphim and one soundly beat Kakashi by using a staff that made their greatest warrior nothing but regular men. To add insult to injury the opponent never moved.

"Thank you Kakashi."

"Of course Tsunade-hime."

"Ok everyone tomorrow is the day we head out. Early, at sunrise. It will be a long walk to the castle. The group will be moving fast and light so make sure you all can keep up. Just don't overdo it so you have the strength to fight when you arrive. If any of you feel you cannot risk your lives in such a battle then please stay behind, but those who do go I applaud your valor. After all of this the future of our world will change, for better or worse will depend on the outcome. So go home, no late night hurrahs before hand, we need everyone in top form. If anyone comes sick or tired you cannot go. So sleep well, eat well and I will see you in the morning."

With her speech ended Tsunade turned around and left leaving everyone in a somber mood.

Hinata decided to add a closing note to the elves there.

"For all my captains here…It is not optional, you will be there along with your battalions."

Sakura had never heard Hinata have such a commanding tone, but neither had she ever seen Hinata really rule her people before.

There was no talk of what was said or what tomorrow would bring, everyone did what they were supposed to and left the room to return to their homes for possibly their final night of sleep.

* * *

Sakura entered her and Naruto's room within Tsunade's mansion. As she walked in she found Naruto at the desk scribbling some notes.

"And where pray tell were you during the meeting?"

Naruto looked up to his gal.

"There was a meeting?"

Sakura sighed, how she fell for him she couldn't remember.

"Sit with me and I will tell you."

* * *

"But Onee-chan!"

"No buts Gaara, you are not coming to this fight."

"But why?"

"You are too young for this, besides who will be the one to lead everyone if none of the other Seraphim come back?"

Gaara's heart sank at the question; he didn't want to be alone.

"That was mean; I want you guys to return."

Temari hugged her brother trying to comfort him that she would come back, and also hopping to make herself believe it as well.

* * *

"Onee-sama, please bring honor back to our family."

"Why so formal Hanabi?" Hinata asked.

"I just want to be polite for the finale time I might see you…"

"Do not talk in such a way Hanabi-sama, we will return, all of us."

"Ya Hanabi-chan don't be so down; I will look after your big sister and your stupid cousin. They have my AWESOME WEAPONS to protect them."

Neji frowned at Tenten's outburst of her own designs.

"You really think highly of those things don't you Tenten."

"Of course Neji…cause everyone who is anyone uses them."

* * *

"Tsunade-hime, do not worry I will not let your people down."

"See that you don't Kakashi, I want my soldiers back to me."

"Tsunade-hime I know you want to go but you have so many things to do to preserve your image if this goes south."

"Thank you Shizune, I am aware."

_God I wish I had some sake._

Tsunade thought as the other two left her room.

* * *

"Ok Shino, while I am gone I want you to watch Arthur for me, he isn't big enough to come with us."

"I understand Kiba-san, Arthur is the yellow cat correct?"

"He is a tiger cub but yes."

"And watch my plants Shino."

"I will Ino-san, just make sure you use my exoskeleton gel in your fight, will make your skin like iron."

"Thank you Shino…God where are Shikamaru and Choji?" Ino asked in frustration.

* * *

"Sakura-chan I don't think you should…"

"To bad Baka I am going and that is that."

"I will never win with you."

"Maybe, the future could hold anything."

* * *

"Choji we will be so amazing in out battle it will be as youthfull as spring!"

"That is great Lee…"

_Why did I have to be roomed with Lee just because I arrived late?_

* * *

Shikamaru's head was ablaze with thoughts, different battle strategies, and all the possible outcomes of the fight to come. He would prefer nothing more than to have gone to sleep already but his mind would not allow him to be lazy tonight, on the one night he actually needed it.

There did come some solos from his thoughts in the form of a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"

"It is me, can I come in?" A female voice asked.

"I guess." Shikamaru replied.

The door opened slowly and entered the body the voice belonged to.

"I came to talk is that all right?"

"Well you always are an interesting person to talk to, so go ahead Temari."

* * *

Well im still alive, it isn't discontinued, and here is the latest chapter...what can i say for being SO late with this update? um...sorry? There was alot of stuff but nothing really as a concrete reason. So really sorry.

Thank you for the reviews i did get they were all very nice, i feel like i should do something if i get a certain number of reviews but i dont know. Oh well, feel free to reviews they keep my spirits up and hey give alot i might be motivated more on the next chapter.

Sgnutman pointed out that this story was like a legacy of kain cross over, i congradulate him on noticing the similarity with the pillars but just to say the pillars and one other future thing were my only inspirations from Legacy of Kain, i have alot of influences. And yes Legacy of Kain is an amazing video game series.

Good day and have a pleasent tommorow


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